The Deathly Hallows Minus Ron Plus Viktor Krum
by Ghostunderasheet
Summary: At Fleur and Bill's Wedding, Hermione and Krum are reunited and she breaks up with Ron who flips out and Krum steps in to defend her honor. Ron and Harry have a huge fight and Ron refuses to go on the hocrux hunt, when Harry and Hermione go to leave for the hunt Victor stops them…
1. Chapter 1: The Reunion

Bill and Fleur had chosen a beautiful day to get married. There was sunlight and gentle breezes and the beautiful air of summer just before it turns to fall. Birds were chirping and the early guests and assorted family members were milling about, eager to socialize before the ceremony.

Hermione was no exception. She and Ron were walking side by side, watching contentedly as more guests slowly arrived at the apparition spot. Hermione was waiting with baited breath for someone to arrive, hint, hint. Fleur had Viktor Krum and she was extremely excited to see him after so long. When he arrived, Hermione sucked in a breath.

He looked good in his formal finery. She hadn't seen him dressed so formally since the Yule Ball in their Fourth Year. Even though that night had ultimately ended in disaster, she remembered it fondly as one of the most romantic and – cliché though it may sound – _magical_ nights of her life. The year they dated had been the best of her life and she regretted breaking up with Viktor.

In fact… come to think of it she no longer remembered why their relationship had fallen apart. She realized that one day she was madly in love with Viktor and the next she just suddenly wanted to be with Ron. Emotions didn't change like that, or at least they weren't meant to without outside interference. She at that point realized that Ron must have given her a love potion, and felt like such an idiot for not having realized it earlier.

Coming back to herself, she realized Ron still had his arm around her. Revolted by what she had just discovered about their false relationship, Hermione pushed him off of her and slapped him hard across the face. Ron, of course is clueless that the potion has worn off due to the bond between Hermione and Viktor coming to the forefront again.

"What was that for?!" Ron yelled.

"For love potioning me into believing I was in love with you! I'm not an idiot! You should have know that I would have figured it out eventually!" Hermione yelled.

Reacting impulsively, Ron took offense to Hermione's words and the scene she was starting and raised his arm as though to land a blow backhanded. It never connected.

Somehow Viktor had materialized at Hermione's side and promptly snagged Ron's wrist, saying, "It is not polite to hit a lady."

"She's not a lady she's my girlfriend!" Ron spluttered in protest. "And it's none of your business!"

"And that makes it okay to hit her?" Viktor asked, tightening his grip to a painful degree.

"Not anymore I'm not! We're over Ron Weasley and I never want to see you again!" Hermione yelled.

"One moment please," Viktor requested politely, nodding slightly to Hermione as he excused himself.

At which point Viktor picked Ron up by the front of the robes, hoisted him above his head, took several steps and threw him from the tent. Ron was shouting his protests all the way and flailing madly, but to no avail. Viktor's strength outmatched him easily.

Seeing this and having heard the argument that sparked it, Fred and George silently cast a spell on the ground Ron was sitting on, turning it into a mud-pit nearly a foot deep and making the unfortunate redhead sink in quickly, staining his robes. George promptly cast Levicorpus on him while Fred silenced their little brother.

"Don't worry about a thing," he offered.

"We've got this," his twin assured.

A moment later, Harry emerged from inside having only heard the tail end of the argument at a distance. "What was that all about and what has Ron done wrong now?" he wondered tiredly. He'd only just finished breaking up with a very persistent Ginny and really didn't have the patience to deal with much more chaos, particularly of the younger Weasley variety. He didn't quite feel up to talking to anyone just yet or even rescuing Ron from whatever the twins had cooked up for him so he headed over to the food bar for something to drink.

"I'm sorry about him," Charlie apologized earnestly. "That was incredibly out of line for him and we'll be talking to him about that. In depth." The seriousness on Charlie's face seemed to imply that he would be doing more than just _talking_ to his younger brother, but nobody seemed against the idea. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that not all of us Weasleys are like him, you see? So if you ever need anything, just send me an owl or a patronus. Anything I can do to help family, you know? And Hermione, you and Harry really are family to us, whether you choose to associate with Ron or not. We've got no choice but to be his brothers but if you choose to block him out please don't cut us out too."

"Oh I would never," Hermione assured him honestly. "You guys are like a second family to me, and for Harry too. You know how the Dursleys are. We'd never cut you out of our lives."

Then, before Charlie could answer, Kingsley's patronus arrived and everything dissolved into chaos. There were people screaming and shouting and running and dissaperating on all sides. Some spells were shot into the air, whether to maintain order or locate missing family members no one could tell.

"Go! Get out of here!" Charlie ordered. "We'll be fine! Just get Harry and go!"

"Harry!" Hermione shouted, whirling about to look for him, "Harry! Where are you?!" She was too short to see him in the crowd and too quiet to make herself heard.

"This vay!" Viktor bellowed over the noise, "I see him!" With his massive strength and size, the Bulgarian easily cleared a path for the smaller girl, guiding him safely to her friend's side.

"Harry! There you are, grab hold!" Hermione ordered, taking his arm in hers firmly.

"Hermione! What-" But Harry didn't get to finish that sentence.

Krum realized they were about to dissaperate and reached out to grab hold of Hermione's arm. "Vait", he requested, "Ve need to talk," just as they dissapperated, leaving nothing but an empty space where they had been.


	2. Chapter 2: The Start

Chapter 2: The Start

It could have been an apartment that belonged to anyone really. The furniture was clean and new but comfortable and homey. There were all the normal muggle appliances and conveniences in the kitchen and a large plant was nestled in one corner. There was no mess and lunch had been finished in the kitchen, just placed in the dishwasher to clean. Nothing was out of the ordinary and everything was as it should be.

Until Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Viktor Krum apperated in unexpectedly. They obviously didn't know they were being watched.

"Right, well, where are we?" Harry asked, still reeling slightly from the journey. Apperition was never going to sit well with him, and Harry quickly sunk to the couch before his last meal could make a reappearance.

"Do you remember Madam Bones?" Hermione asked briskly. "This is her muggle flat, where she would meet with muggle law enforcement and muggle-borns when necessary. I came here once," Hermione explained, "That's how I know about it."

Krum buts in, "What are we doing here and why are we in a muggle flat?" Krum knew a lot about the muggle world because his quidditch team often stays in muggle hotels when they're traveling abroad, and everything he knew indicated that they were _not_ good places to hide from attacking enemy wizards because they had no spell-protection or wards at all. The British Ministry had just fallen and now would be a perfect time for the Death Eaters to target Harry and Hermione and Krum didn't want to see that happen. "We need to get to safety."

"This _is_ safety!" Herminie points out, "No one will think to look for us here, we're as good as invisible. No one other than a few close friends knew Madam Bones even _had_ this place so no one can tell the Death Eaters where it is."

"Great, so now we know where we are and why we're here, but that still doesn't answer the question of what do we do now?" Harry asks. "And how did you know where to even find this place?"

"I met with her here back in my third year, you remember, don't you Harry?" Hermione explained. "I needed to interview for the right to use my Time Turner and this is where I went."

Viktor Krum may have been an athlete, but that did not make him a stereotypical jock idiot. He knew when two people were trying not to discuss something in front of him and that was exactly what Hermione and Harry were doing right now. Viktor had no patience for secrets so he asked outright, "What are we doing here and why are you two being so secretive?"

Harry and Hermione knew each other just about as well as two people could know one another by that point. Communication between them was no longer necessarily a verbal affair. With a glance they held an entire argument and debate, coming to a consensus faster than most people could notice the expression on their faces. Simultaneously, then nodded. It was for the best that they tell him the truth.

"You better sit down," Hermione offered him, taking a seat next to Harry, "this is going to be a long story."

"How much do you know about Horcruxes?" Harry asked.

Susan Bones, who has been listening patiently since they arrived in the flat she had inhabited since her aunt's death at the hands of Voldemort, chose that moment to jump out from behind the kitchen door and demand harshly "What is it that you are trying to find out and more importantly: why do you want to know?"

Krum let out a brief curse in Bulgarian, shooting off a spell on instinct that Susan, caught off guard but still practicing CONSTANT VIGILANCE™, deflected on instinct. Undoubtedly, it would have dissolved into a violent duel had Hermione not caught Viktor's arm as he prepared another spell and Harry placed himself in front of the other seeker, blocking Susan's target as she prepared to go on the offensive.

"Okay, no, that's not necessary!" Harry insisted.

"It's fine, we can trust her!" Hermione promised Viktor earnestly. "She's safe."

"Fine but, who is she?"


	3. Chapter 3: Susan

Chapter 3: Susan

"Her name is Susan Bones," Hermione placated Viktor quickly, wanting to prevent a fight, "She was in Hufflepuff, and she's in our year."

"Her aunt was the head of the DMLE until she was murdered by Voldemort." Harry explained the situation further. "We can trust her."

Krum didn't look all that impressed by this.

"I'm also the girl who's two steps from blowing your balls off," Susan warned, causing Harry and Hermione to chortle uncontrollably lest they burst out laughing.

"Vhat's so funny?" Krum asks. "There is nothing funny about a guy getting his balls blown off."

Harry stopped laughing. As someone who had balls and wanted to keep them, he decided it really wasn't funny, even if he knew Susan meant it as a joke to break the tension. Hermione just laughed harder.

"I was just joking," Susan explains.

Krum knew that of course, but he also valued his boys very much, thank you, and adjusted himself so they'd be harder to hit. The rest of them couldn't help but laugh, despite their best efforts. Even Harry let out a few chuckles, despite his sympathy and general male solidarity. Eventually the laughter puttered out.

"Right…" Harry began awkwardly, trailing off. "Uh…"

"Now what do you mean by Hocruxes?" Krum and Susan asked together, immediately stopping to glare at each other for speaking at the same time.

"You better take a seat," Hermione warned. "This will take a while. We have to go through all six years of Hogwarts, Susan knows the parts that were publicized but not the whole story." She sighed tiredly, reluctant to go through everything again even in brief but understanding that it was needed, "It's the only way you'll see why we're doing this and why we're so determined to see this through."

Krum quite stubbornly sat next to Hermione and not Susan, leaving Harry to sit with the other girl. Susan put her feet in his lap comfortably and Viktor raised an eyebrow, taking note.

"Starting with first year then," Hermione decided briskly, "I didn't make any friends and was very lonely up until Halloween. Ron insulted me rather horribly, so I ran and hid in a girl's bathroom for the rest of the day - classes were over so I only missed the feast. Unfortunately that evening our DADA professor released a troll into the school as a distraction, and-"

"What?!" Viktor demanded. "A teacher did this?!"

Susan confirms this with a nod of her head. "Oh yeah, a lot of our teachers are secretly evil. Or not so secretly. Like Snape."

"Anyway," Hermine continued before Viktor could get sidetracked by the threat to her safety. Honestly, she loved him but he could get slightly overprotective sometimes. "Ron and Harry had to come and rescue me cause I didn't know about the wild mountain troll. We fought it and beat it – mostly by luck – and that's how we became the golden trio. We figured out by the end of the year – though we would have found out sooner if someone who will not be named hadn't rubbed off on Harry – that Voldemort was going after Nicholas Flamel's…"

"THE SORCERER"S STONE" Krum yelled out surprised.

Susan's eyes widened in realization. "That must have been why we couldn't go in the third floor corridor," she exclaimed, "the Stone was hidden there!"

"Yes, exactly," Hermine nodded. "Stop interrupting or we'll never get anywhere. Anyway, once we figured that out, we set out to stop Voldemort. In the end we beat a bunch of obstacles that were honestly meant for first years but very scary at the time, and Harry confronted and defeated Voldemort for the second time in his life."

"Second year," Harry continued, silently noticing Hermione's weariness with the subject and choosing a convenient moment to take over for her. "The Chamber of Secrets was opened. Er, you wouldn't have heard that story so, basically Salazar Slytherin, one of our founders, was said to have left this Chamber behind – the Chamber of Secrets – and in it he hid this monster. Everyone thought _I_ was the heir of Slytherin because I'm a Parslemouth, but I wasn't. We actually thought it was Malfoy but he didn't know who it was either, long story that. Anyway, Hermione and a lot of people got petrified and when the monster took Ginny – she's the youngest Weasley – I went after her. I slayed the basilisk and defeated the first horcrux, not that I knew what it was at the time." Harry decided not to mention the Spider Incident. To his knowledge, Hermione still hadn't been told about that and he wanted to keep it that way.

Viktor however found something else much more important. "YOU WERE PETRIFIED, BY A _BASALISK?!_ " he realized, horror shocking through his chest. "I COULD HAVE LOST YOU BEFORE I KNEW YOU."

Rather than let her respond, her grabbed the smaller girl and pulled Hermione into a rough kiss, possessive and hot.

Susan was taken aback. "Woah, I thought she was with Ron," she muttered. "Obviously a trade up buts still."

"Don't mention that in front of Hermione – or Viktor," Harry instructed seriously, "It will not end well."

"Why not?" Susan asked.

"He potioned her." Harry replied flatly. "Nobody was pleased."

Susan winced, understanding. Potioning someone into loving you wasn't illegal in the wizarding world, only severely frowned upon… if you got caught. Ron was a fool for doing that to such a smart witch and for putting his family in that position. They would either have to excommunicate him or bear that stigma now and that just wasn't fair to the rest of the Weasleys.

"Uh, right," Hermione realized dazedly when Viktor finally released her from their kiss, though he kept her firmly in his lap and surrounded by his arms. "Um, so, moving on. Third year was the best year in terms of trauma," Hermione explained. "We didn't have to confront Voldemort, which was a novel experience, we had our best DADA professor ever, and Harry met his godfather, Sirius Black who was also an escaped convict at the time. He was innocent though so we had to rescue him on a Hypogriff."

"So basically, nothing happened," Viktor noted. For anyone else, that would have been an exhausting year but compared to what Krum already knew of their adventures it was nothing.

"Basically," Hermione nodded, "but there was a werewolf chase towards the end in there and the fact that I used a time turner all year to take extra classes, so I'm almost a year older than I should be."

"Wait a second there was a werewolf chase," Viktor asked, concerned, "Who was the werewolf?"

"Our DADA professor," Hermione explained, quickly rising to her ex-professor's defense. "He forgot to take his potion, but he's perfectly normal." Hermione defended.

"I don't care if he's a werewolf, I was just concerned," Krum responded soothingly. "In Bulgaria if you don't accept your potion bad things can happen to you on the full moon. The potion is free, so no one should lose control unless they wish it. I don't care about the stigma this country has on 'dark creatures', it's who he is as a person that matters."

"I wish more people felt the way your country does here in Britian," Harry admitted, upset that there was nothing he could do to make it happen. He loved his Uncle Moony and wished his life were easier than it was. His feelings were soundly echoed by Susan and Hermione, though they merely nodded, knowing it was Harry's turn to speak. Harry took a moment to collect himself before resuming, "In our fourth year," he continued, somewhat awkwardly, "well you know most of it, but the gist is I was forced to compete in a tournament, which was designed for people at least three years older than me, I had an awkward date at the Yule Ball, Voldemort came back to life using my blood and Peter Pettigrew killed Cedric. That was all rather horrible."

Hermione took up the story before Harry could dissolve into angst over Cedric. Honestly, if she didn't know Harry was straight she'd think he'd had a crush on the older boy but she knew it was just a deep respect and sense of responsibility for his death. "Our fifth year was the worst yet," she began, "Harry had to protect himself against dementors using his Partonus over the summer and nearly got expelled over it. And then we had our worst DADA professor ever: Dolores Jane Umbridge," Hermione spat her name as though it were an insult. It largely was. "Harry was being constantly attacked in the papers, got tortured by Umbridge, and lost his godfather - all in under a year."

"I'm so sorry about that Harry."/"I'm sorry that happened, Harry." Susan and Viktor spoke at the same time. Immediately they stopped and glared at each other again, Viktor drawing Hermione closer in his lap again. Harry almost sighed out loud. He understood that neither of them had any reason to trust each other yet beyond his and Hermione's words, but if this kept up he'd lose patience fast. It would be easier if they all just got along.

"Our last year was an eventful one and packed with less than ideal events," he continued, completely ignoring the glaring contest their two listeners were in the middle of. "It all started with a trip to meet Horace Slughorn, to obtain his memories and recruit him to teach. Dumbledore introduced me to the idea of horcruxes - apparently Voldemort made seven of them. We actually thought we found one at one point but it was a fake. Then Malfoy was a rat bastard and he secretly let a bunch of Death Eaters in through a Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement – it's this magic room that- er, it doesn't matter – anyway, so they raised havoc and a lot of people got hurt. Snape actually killed Dumbledore. And that… more or less takes us up to now."

"And why is this _your_ responsibility?" Krum asked. "You are barely seventeen, barely an adult."

"Because no one else is _doing anything_ ," Harry insisted. "Everyone else is too scared or too weak or too young and _someone_ had to do something and we're the only ones _left_ who know what needs to be done. No one else knows about the Horcruxes."

"Besides, they do this _all the time_ ," Susan explained. "You did just hear what their school lives were like, right? And that's after they left out a bunch of stuff, like the flying car I heard about in second year and rogue bludgers bent on killing people. This is nothing new, just on a slightly higher level than they're accustomed to."

"And there's this prophecy," Hermione added, "Not that I put much stock in Dicination mind you, it's a very wools subject, but it basically boils down to either Harry kills Voldemort or Voldemort kills Harry. It should be perfectly obvious what side I'm choosing if it should come down to it. The prophecy itself may be a bunch of hooey, but Voldemort believes it so we have no choice but to fight."

"But why isn't there an adult involved?" Viktor asked.

Hermione and Harry shrug simultaneously, "We could have someone, but there are complications such as trust," she explained. "We have one adult we trust completely, but he's married and we would have to bring her along."

"What's wrong with his wife?" Krum asks alarmed.

"Nothing," Harry cut in quickly. "She's really nice and we like her, it's just that she's just really, _really_ clumsy and would get us caught in under a minute."

"Oh, Tonks!" Susan remembered, "I love her, but your right she really _shouldn't_ be involved in this. That would end badly."

"Ok, me and Hermione are ready to go." Harry says turning to leave.

"WAIT!" Krum and Susan yell at the same time, for once not protesting the other's agreement as they protested their friends' departure. "You can't just go!"/"I won't let you leave me behind!"/"I'll come after you if I have to!"/"I can help!"

"Why should we take you?" Harry demanded, not liking the idea one bit. "You would just be putting yourselves in more danger than you already are."

"Voldemort's already after me," Susan dismissed stubbornly. "Why do you think I'm here and not Hogwarts? I may as well come with you and get he chance to do some actual good in this war."

"I'm in off-season and I have nothing better to do," Krum insisted. "I want Hermione to be safe and if that means following you up against a Dark Lord then so be it. If you tell me you honestly don't need me, I'll leave, but I think we already know that I'm coming."

Harry's stubborn streak was showing and Hermione intervened before it turned into his angry streak. Harry's temper was something to behold when he got going and they didn't need that right now. "Harry it'll make more sense for them to come with us," she admitted placatingly, "Susan can't hide in here forever and Viktor has more knowledge than both of us combined. Plus if we travel in a quartet it'll be easier to stay in hotel rooms."

"How would that work?" Harry asked, confused. "We just need to be able to pay for the room right?" He wasn't actually sure about that, but it sounded right. The Dursleys had never taken him on vacation so he'd never seen it in person, but he couldn't be that far off the mark.

"Well," Hermione explained awkwardly, "Viktor and I are a couple and you and Susan can pretend to be one."

"Who's pretending?" Viktor asks honestly.

Susan and Harry looked confused but he didn't elaborate. He figured that they'd figure it out on their own eventually. He had more important things to do, like talk to his precious Hermione. Without the other two listening in.

Viktor pulled her into another room, surprised to realize it was the master bedroom, so that they could talk.


	4. Chapter 4: Hermione's Remorse

Viktor pulled Hermione into the master bedroom, where she promptly collapsed in his arms sobbing. He had seen this coming and was only able to comfort her as she let it all out. So much had happened so quickly that Hermione hadn't had time to process everything, particularly the fact that Ron, someone she had trusted with her life once and never again, had drugged her into loving him. Had used love potions on her and violated her sense of self, her sense of control and to a certain extent, even her body. And now Viktor of all people had to suffer for it. She had hurt him by pushing him away so suddenly, she knew, and Hermione didn't think she'd ever forgive herself for that, much less for cheating on the man she loved. She apologized over and over, even as Viktor softly reassured her that he didn't blame her in the slightest and whispered sweet nothingness in her ear until the sobs receded and Hermione's rational brain returned to the forefront.

"How did you figure out that I was being potioned?" Hermione asked.

"I suspected something was up when you didn't reply to my last letter, but I didn't get confirmation until I saw you at the wedding. It wasn't like you to simply cut all contact if I'd upset you or if you'd moved on, and then when I saw his arm around you I made my best guess as to what was wrong," Krum explained. "Apparently I was right. I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop it."

"I feel like such an idiot," she confessed, tearing up again. "I should have realized something was up when I didn't get your letter and I started having feelings for Ron." Hermione sobbed again, despite her efforts to hold it in.

"It's not your fault," Viktor comforted her soothingly as he rubbed her back, "The love potion does that. I'm amazed you snapped out of it on your own. The veasel must intercepted the letter and realized we were still dating. He's a jealous prick vho doesn't know how to take no for an answer."

"Yes he is!" Harry's voice echoed in from the other room. There was a loud smack as Susan shushed him.

"Oh for goodness sakes, why didn't I put up a silencing ward? Cause Harry is naturally nosy and Susan's very curious." Hermione says while putting up a ward. "I should have seen that coming."

"It's only natural to forget everything else when you're in love with somebody," Krum explains passionately, before going in for a kiss. Part of him wanted to distract Hermione from her memories, and part of him wanted to erase any trace that weasel had left on her. Though he wouldn't deny that he also just plain wanted her.

Hermione returns the favor and the kiss started out sweet and slow. It had been too long since they'd seen each other though and it quickly turns heated. Slowly, giving Hermione time to push him away, Krum reached under her dress and discovered that she wasn't wearing a bra, much to his surprise and even greater arousal.

"You naughty, naughty girl, not wearing a bra. Where you expecting something to happen tonight?" Krum asked.

Hermione looked down, ashamed, which was not the reaction Viktor had wanted to instill in her. "Yes, I was, but not with you," she admitted. "I was planning on giving Ron my virginity tonight. He'd been pushing for a long time and I was running out of rational reasons to say no so… Of course though that was under the influence of the love potion so it doesn't really count."

"Are you sure you're ready for this then?" Krum asked, concerned. "Cause I am more than willing to wait if you want me too. We can stop and I won't think less of you. I'd never push you into-"

"I was ready for this in fourth year," she cut him off gently, "but you thought I was under the age of consent, and I didn't see you until the wedding despite the constant communication. We didn't get the chance," Hermione explained. "But we have one now."

Krum responded by kissing her heatedly and unzipping her dress. Immediately, Hermione shrugged it off and the discarded material fell to the floor. He kissed down her neck on his way to her breasts. Hermione's breasts were Krum's favorite physical feature and he lavished attention on them. He continued his path down to the edge of her panties and gently pulled them off. He paused to ask, "Are you sure?"

"Yes please," Hermione panted.

Viktor slowly undressed, making sure Hermione got a clear view of all of his muscles hardened and sculpted from extensive quiditch practice.

Suddenly he stopped. "I don't have a condom," he admitted.

"So what? Just use the spell," Hermione encouraged shortly. Seeing Viktor shirtless had fried a large part of her brain and she just _really_ wanted to taste those muscles right now.

"Using the spell with a condom is more effective," Viktor explained, reluctant to stop but not wanting to put either of them in a stupid situation.

"I don't care," Hermione dismissed, "I just want you."

Well that made that decision a lot easier. If Hermione asked for anything in that voice, he would give it to her. Viktor resumed undressing and slowly revealed his impressive erection. Hermione felt herself get nervous, not quite sure that it would fit and Viktor could see the panic in her eyes behind the lust.

"Hey, Hey, hey look at me it'll fit," he assured her, "but if you want to stop at any point you can just say so."

"I'm okay," Hermione reminded herself. "I love you and I trust you. Just go slow and make sure your gentle," she instructed.

Viktor placed himself at Hermione's entrance and thrust in quickly, not wanting to draw the inevitably painful part out too long. Hermione cried out in pain and Viktor stilled. He wanted to move but knew she wasn't ready for that yet. As the pain slowly ebbed away, Hermione nodded.

When Viktor didn't seem to get the message she said "You can start moving."

Viktor did so making sure that he hit Hermione's clit with each thrust. Hermione peaked quickly, but Viktor kept going and Hermione came two more times before Viktor came.

"Wow!" Viktor exclaimed, eventually collapsing onto the sheets beside Hermione, sweaty spent and sated. "That is easily the best sex I've ever had in my life."

"I would say the same but that was my first, as you know," Hermione jokes. Viktor lets out a short laugh and kisses her on the cheek, pulling her into his arms and partially onto his chest before falling asleep. Hermione joined him quickly.

Voldemort and all his Death Eaters were still out in the world, but for now, they were safe. And they were together. That seemed to be all that mattered in the moment.

.o0O0o.

Meanwhile back in the living room, Harry and Susan were sitting awkwardly next to each other on the couch, pretending not to know what was going on. They both refused to look at each other and sat as far apart as the suddenly much-too-small piece of furniture would allow.

"So," Harry began awkwardly, "Is that your bedroom or your aunt's."

"I don't want to talk about it, but lets just say you're getting the couch and I'm getting the guest room tonight." Susan said firmly, before going to bed.


	5. Chapter 5: Return to Grimuald Place

Chapter 5: Return to Grimmaud Place

The next morning, Krum and Hermione come out to the awkward stares of Harry and Susan after a fitful night's sleep. They already had breakfast going and on the table, so everybody dug in silently before talking to each other. As breakfast wound down and the scrapes of fork and knives against plates decreased, the awkward silence set in. Krum didn't seem to mind because he flatly asked, "Okay what's next?"

"Well," Harry explained somewhat awkwardly in his uncertainty, "you know the fake horcrux we found? It was this locket. There was a note signed 'RAB' and we've been trying to figure out who the RAB from the locket is and then go from there."

"Wait," Susan stopped him, holding up a hand, "Did you just say RAB?"

"Yeah," Harry confirmed. "Why?"

"How do you not already know this? Oh right, muggle raised. Sorry, I keep forgetting that there's things you never go the chance to learn, like genealogies that purebloods grow up with," Susan apologized before continuing eagerly, "The initials RAB stand for Regulus Argus Black! They're the initials of your godfather's dead brother!"

"If RAB is Regulus, then where would he hide the locket?" Harry asks, reeling slightly and wondering vaguely if Sirius had ever known about his brother's betrayal of Voldemort.

Hermione on the other hand took it all in stride, nodding eagerly as she assimilated the new information while also making a mental not to research pureblood genealogies at her next opportunity. "With the only person in the world he truly trusted, Kreacher." Hermione said.

"Oh great," Harry groaned depressively, "we have to go back."

"Go back where?" Asks Krum.

"Back to the place where I last saw my godfather before he died," Harry explained grimly.

"Grimmaud place," Hermione agreed, wrinkling her nose slightly. She had seen _mold_ on some of the books last time she'd been there and hadn't been allowed to touch them because they were so dark they might be dangerous enough to take the skin off her fingers or something similar.

"What is so wrong about the house, and why are you so afraid of going back there?" Krum asked irritated. He did not like not having all the information, especially when he wanted to protect Hermione and didn't know what from.

"You'll see." Harry and Hermione said in unison.

"Okay," Susan interrupted briskly, "now we've established where we're going, but how are we going to get there? Grimmaud isn't exactly a short jaunt away from here you know. Or at least I think it isn't – I've never been to the Black Family Manor."

"It's not a manor really, but the important thing is that we can't apperate without revealing our location," Harry explained. "So we're going to have to use the Underground."

"Ok, but how are we going to pay for it?" Susan asked, still focused on the logistics of crossing London unaided.

"Vell, I have some money left over and ve can exchange it at Gringotts bank for muggle money," Viktor explained.

"And Diagon Alley is only a couple of blocks away form Grimmaud and only a block away from here," Hermione explained.

"Wait, wait, wait how would you know that?" Susan asked, sidetracked. "This location is supposed to be unplotable so how do you know where we are?"

"Remember how I said I interviewed your aunt? Well I flooed to Diagon Alley to get here," Hermione explained.

"Well it's settled." Harry decided, "We'll go to Diagon Alley. But won't people recognize Susan, Hermione and me? Krum's fine. He's recognizable but the Death Eaters aren't after him for anything. The rest of us are a different story though."

"That's what glamours are for," Hermione explains.

.o0O0o.

Wandering up the street of Diagon Ally for the first time while wearing a glamour, Harry marveled at how easy it was to pass as anonymous without his distinctive scar or glasses. It was wonderful to bump shoulders with someone, apologize and walk away without needing to shake their hand or get cursed at for something they thought he did. It was a completely different sort of invisibility than when he was at the Dursleys. He was invisible there, but it was more like being the dirt on the floor than part of the scenery like he was here. It was a novel experience and Harry loved it, almost wishing it would take them longer to reach the bank than it did.

Krum approached the goblin tellers first, striding confidently. "We would like to exchange some money," he requested.

"Name?" the goblin on duty drawled.

"You don't need a name to make a money exchange," Susan challenged imperiously, still under glamour herself, "Only to access vaults. Our names are none of your business."

The goblin, contrary to Harry's expectations, actually looked pleased by her disrespectful attitude. "Very well."

"They're a warrior culture that live by their honor," Hermione whispered in his ear, explaining automatically. "It's considered good to know and respect their rules. It's like passing a test."

"They also have very good hearing," the teller grinned at them, showing pointed teeth.

Hermione flushed and nodded.

"Thank you, goodbye," Harry nodded shortly, not wanting to make any more blunders. The goblin nodded to them respectfully as they left, so Harry supposed it hadn't gone too badly. As they left he asked Susan, "How did you know how to do that?"

"It's just proper pureblood etiquette," she shrugged. "Most purebloods disregard it because they're 'lesser creatures', but some of us still follow the true ways. Ever since Grindewald, the true ways started getting called the 'old ways' instead, but it's really just the art of being snobbier than the person standing downwind of you. The true ways were, and still are though they're dying out, all about respect and exchange through magic, regardless of species, station or blood. It's sad that they've been replaced in just a few generations like this but I guess that's just what fear does to people."

It struck Harry how deeply Susan cared about her fellow magical and non-magical beings, especially with how much time she must have put in to research and maintain the true ways. She really was an impressive person.

.o0O0o.

They walked the few blocks to Grimmaud place. It didn't take nearly as long as Harry had expected somehow, and that threw him for a moment.

"I had no idea it was so close," Harry admitted. "It always felt so isolated."

Hermione nodded curtly, clearly irritated but not with him. "Yes, well, that's what happens when you're cooped up against your will." Sirius's treatment had never sat well with her. It was more than just a miscarriage of justice, more than the lawmakers ignoring their own laws, it was just plane _wrong_ and that never sat well with her. Even after they'd met him, Sirius had always seemed so tired.

Harry looked down glumly. He couldn't imagine how Sirius felt, trapped there with nothing but _Kreacher_ and surrounded by Order members babbling nonsensically at him all the time. Susan seemed to sense his mood and shouldered him lightly, trying to get his attention.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I just hate this place," Harry dismissed, holding a finger to his lips so Susan would know not to be noisy in the hallway. He opened the door quietly so he wouldn't set off Mrs. Black's portrait, allowing the others to file in ahead of him. Krum didn't notice Harry and Hermione's sudden stealthiness and allowed the heavy door to slam shut behind them.

There was only time for Harry and Hermione to curse once before they were surrounded by Mrs. Black's screams. "Bullocks."

"Oh wow," Susan muttered, impressed dismally by the sheer vitriol and volume the late Lady Black was hurling at them.

"FILTHY MUDBLOODS! BANE OF THE HOUSE OF BLACK! BLOOD-TRAITORS THE LOT OF-"

"You shut your mouth Lady Black," Susan ordered harshly, drawing herself up and somehow looking much more intimidating as her presence expanded, bolstered by a flare in her magic. "You speak of disgracing the house of Black but you behavior does that enough! A pureblood does not _shriek_ at her guests, however ignoble, like some sort of trussed-up painted banshee. You act beneath your station! Shame on you!" Susan barely raised her voice, but her point carried nobly.

"And who are you to insult the ancient and noble house of Krum?" Viktor demanded sternly, catching on quickly. "Just who do you think it is you are calling a traitor and a mudblood? You speak with such uncouth language for a lady. No wonder England is in such dire straights if this is how they treat their betters."

Mrs. Black seemed to swell up in her rage, turning red faced and glowering furiously. She physically trembled with her need for violence as her words failed her. The magic holding the portrait together couldn't sustain the emotion imbedded in that small sliver of spirit and spontaneously combusted into flames. Harry yelped shortly and leapt back, having been close enough to feel the heat when the portrait ignited. Within seconds, there was nothing left but ashes and an empty, tarnished golden picture frame.

Kreacher must have sensed the disturbance (or heard the screaming) because he promptly appeared. "NOO MISTRESS," Kreacher sobbed upon seeing what had happened to the painting. He turned to the heroic quartet in anger, "What did you do to Mistress?" He demanded.

"Nothing! She did it to herself! Just _poof_ and flames!" Harry protested defensively, slightly panicked. He remembered perfectly well what had happened to Malfoy Sr. in second year when he pissed Dobby off and didn't want that happening to him if he could help it.

"We came here for something else Kreacher," Hermione piped up quickly, trying to change the subject before the conversation could go downhill. "It's about your past Master Regulus. Before he died, did he leave a locket with you or tell you where to find it? Please say yes because we _really_ need to destroy it."

Kreacher seemed surprised hat Hermione would know something like that but answered anyway. "Yes, Master Regulus did," the old elf admitted, wringing his ears, "but Kreacher has been unable to destroy nasty, cursed locket. Kreacher is failing Master Regulus's last orders!"

And that's when Kreacher started banging his head against the wall where Mrs. Black's portrait used to be. Harry didn't like seeing it any more tan he liked seeing Dobby do it, which surprised him slightly. The elf had been so cruel to Sirius that Harry figured he'd dislike him more. "Stop it, Kreacher," he ordered. "We will find a way to dispose of the locket for you, I promise. We can help you carry out Regulus's wish. Don't hurt yourself anymore. It's not necessary. Just tell us where the locket is."

"Kreacher will show you."

Upon discovering that Kreacher lived in a small cupboard under the sink, Hermione barely restrained her rant about House Elf welfare. Harry barely restrained his memories of the cupboard under the stairs and his other treatment by the Dursleys, so he said nothing. Among the rubbish Kreacher had squirreled away was a slightly tarnished golden locket with a snake on top in the shape of an 'S'. Harry and Hermione simultaneously took a breath, recognizing it.

Hermione pulled out the fake locket from the endless bag, quickly comparing the two. Asside from a malignant aura, the new locket appeared exactly the same. She looked up saying, "It's a match."

Harry grinned. "We got one!" he beamed. "That could've been a whole lot harder."

"Don't jinx us," Susan ordered shortly.

"Okay, great," Krum observed. "Now what do we do with it?"

"We'll keep it in my bag for safe-keeping until we can destroy it," Hermione announced firmly. "We can't lose it."

"How can we destroy it without the Sword of Gryffindor?" Harry asks. "I can't think of anything else that's powerful enough."

"Fiendfyre!" Susan and Krum say at once.

"Fu-what-now?" Harry asked out loud. He really hated sometimes that he wasn't raised in a magical household. There were just so many things that he missed and he _needed_ that knowledge sometimes. Like now.

"Wait how do you two know that?" Hermione asked.

"Dumstrang taught me," Krum dismissed, at the same time Susan explained "Auntie taught me."

"Okay, well, that's a plan then," Harry noted, still not sure what Fiendfyre was but not wanting to ask since Hermione seemed to already know from one of her many books. "Next is to figure out where the hell the other hocruxes are. Any guesses?"

"Why don't we ask Kreacher, he's been helpful so far and I think he likes me." Krum suggested.

"I don't think Kreacher likes anyone," Harry admitted under his breath.

"Kreacher can help!" the elf piped up helpfully, making Harry gape internally. "Kreacher only knows of one. In the Missy Bella's Vault."

"Well that's good news," Susan beamed.

"How is that good news?!" Harry and Hermione asked alarmed. Breaking into Gringotts was _not_ good news as far as they were concerned. This could only end badly. Very badly.

"Well, Harry can just go in." Susan explained easily. "That's because he's Lord Black by inheritance and by blood. As head of the House of Black he can access any of his family members vaults without too much trouble. Just a little paperwork and a quick talk with his goblin bankers."

"I'M WHAT?!" Harry shouted, completely taken aback.

"So all we have to do is go to Gringotts," Hermione said, "just one problem: how are Susan, Harry and I going to get in there? We're kind of _wanted fugitives_. I doubt they'll just let us stroll up to the front gates!"

"We'll have to polyjuice ourselves," groaned Harry. "Again."

"Again?" Krum asks.

"Don't ask. I'm sure we don't want to know." Susan said.

"Okay so where are we going to brew it?" Harry asks. "Please tell me we're not using-"

"Not the toilet again," Hermione says exasperatedly. "We have cauldrons now. We're not that desperate."

"Are ve sure ve don't vant to know?" Viktor asks. "This sounds like it has a very interesting story behind it."

"Trust me you don't," Harry said.

"There's a potions lab in the basement," Kreacher said suddenly, "It's sealed, but I can unseal it."

"This is so much better than a toilet," Harry decided firmly.

"And you drank it?" Susan asked.


	6. Chapter 6: Return to Gringotts

Chapter 6: Return to Gringotts

The month spent preparing the Polyjuice passed faster than any of them really expected. Harry and Susan spent most of their time not working on the potion pretending not to know that Viktor and Hermione were off having sex and reacquainting with each other and studiously avoiding each other's gazes. Even so, they still became increasingly familiar with each other. Harry took over most of the cooking for the household and found that, now that the Dursleys no longer forced it on him, he actually quite liked doing it. Kreacher of course took offense, but he was largely ignored despite that fact. It was weird how helpful he was sometimes. Before any of them really saw it coming, the Polyjuice was ready, and the heroic quartet was already headed to Gringotts.

Susan, Hermione and of course Harry were the ones in disguise, Viktor having no need to hide his identity in England where he was not considered politically active. The potion had been intentionally taken several hours in advance so that once they reached Gringotts it would wear off relatively quickly and they could properly prove their identities to the goblins.

Much to Harry's protest, the four magicals took the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley. There was no equivalent of the Knight Bus in Bulgaria, and the death contraption had poor Viktor cringing every time the Knight Bus took an unexpected turn – and with the Knight Bus, all the turns were unexpected. Upon reaching Diagon Alley, Viktor leaped out of the bus ahead of the others. He stepped on Harry's foot, but Harry was too busy laughing at him to take much offense. Not even _he_ hated the Knight Bus that much.

Viktor turned back to the magical vehicle, proclaiming, "That bus is a death trap."

Ern seemed to take offense at that. "No it isn't," he protested. "She's just rusty sometimes."

"YES IT IS!" Everybody on board shouted out. Even the old woman who smelled of cats that Harry had been sitting next to and who reminded him far too strongly of Mrs. Fig raised her voice and actually threw her cane at the poor conductor.

The Knight Bus speeds away and the heroic quartet headed towards Diagon Alley, through the Leaky Cauldron, taking the opportunity to order a butterbeer along the way. It had been far too long since they'd had the familiar wizarding beverage and it was nice to have something that tasted of home for once. They quickly drank the butterbeer and headed out into the alley. The Polyjuice wore off just as they arrived at Gringotts and stepped inside.

It was a matter of seconds before people began taking notice of their presence, most notably Harry's, and began whispering at increasing speeds and volume. Some people rushed out of the bank and others rushed in, all attempting to circulate the news of the Undesirable Number One's presence. That was when the Gringotts guards stepped in. They did so silently, marching across the marbled floors with their armaments and weapons, formally escorting the heroic quartet out of the main entry hall and towards an ornate office at the end of the hallway that none of them had ever been in before. There was a plaque on the door written in Gobildygook, and none of them were certain what it said. The head guard gestured for them to enter on their own.

Harry knocked awkwardly, remembering the manners that the Dursleys had beaten into his head – sometimes literally. "Come in," a gravely voice ordered, and they complied.

Upon entering the room, Susan bowed low but the other three just stood and stared at her, wondering what exactly she was doing. Then they saw an ornately dressed old goblin who has scars all over his face. Hermione's eyes went wide and she smacked Krum and Harry over their heads as she bowed, forcing them to do the same.

"Greetings Mr. Potter-Black, Ms. Granger-Black, Ms. Bones, and Mr. Krum, what can the goblin nation do for you?" the goblin asked politely. "You've caused quite a stir with your arrival you know."

"Wait a minute," Hermione interrupted, suddenly struck by something, "Granger-Black, you called me Granger-Black. How am I related to Sirius?"

"He's your biological father." Harry realized that Goblins were not very good at softening their blows; they were much too blunt. "Your birth name was Andromeda Evelyn Black, though it was changed just before you reached the age of two years old," the ornate goblin explained.

"Wait, in the magical system the firstborn inherits the parent of the same gender's first name as their middle name. Was Evelyn my mother's name?" Hermione asks.

"Yes," the goblin said.

"Why would my mother change my name, her name, and move?" Hermione asks herself, suddenly at a loss. The facts she had been living by were disappearing out from under her feet and she felt she had nothing left to hold her up. If she didn't know who she was… well that was the very definition of an identity crisis wasn't it?

"Sirius Black vas just arrested and vas framed for a crime that you explained to me he didn't commit. Maybe she vas afraid vhoever framed him would come after her next," Krum reasoned. "It seems logical."

"Then why didn't Sirius try and find me?" Hermione asked, wringing her hands. Was she not worth looking for?

"Maybe he did." Harry said. "As you said your mom changed her name. There's not reason to assume she didn't change anything else – maybe everything about herself even, to keep you safe. And the last time he saw you, you were just a toddler so he had no way of recognizing you."

"And plus he vas so focused on Peter that he probably vasn't thinking straight," Krum said. "He _knew_ Harry was in danger and didn't know where you were. He had no choice but to prioritize saving Harry's life before reuniting with you – not because Harry was more important to him but because there was a much more active threat."

The goblin didn't seem very impressed with the tangent they had dissolved into, wanting to concentrate on the problem at hand. "Your father did leave you a note in the Black Family Vault, which you can access at any time," he informed them shortly before moving on briskly. "Okay so back to business. My name is Ragnok, and I am the leader of the Goblin World in Great Britain."

"Oh, great!" Harry realizes, "That's wonderful. Very convenient."

"What are you doing here and how can the Goblin Nation help you?" Ragnok prompted, containing his impatience.

"We believe that here is a horcrux in a vault that belongs to Harry as head of the Black Family, inherited by blood rite and by bequeath." Susan explained.

"An horcrux?" Ragnok asked, attention snapping into an almost predatory level of focus. "Belonging to whom?"

"Voldemort," Harry said darkly. "And it's in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault."

"That's easy enough to fix. We'll take you." Ragnok said. "How do you plan to destroy the Horcrux?"

"We have to find the rest of them and then we plan on using fiendfyre to destroy them but there is another way. The goblin nation has Gryffindor's sword which is soaked in Basilisk Venom due to a _certain someone_ and his reckless life-threatening adventures," Hermione said glaring at Harry. "That could be used as well, though we understand that we have no claim to take it."

"Ah, the sword," Ragnok exclaimed as his demeanor lightened. He seemed relieved to know that these four individuals – teens barely past their childhood – actually had a plan to handle this disaster. "I'll lend it to you, but you have to swear upon your honor that you will return it once Riddle is dead."

"Vait a minute," Krum said, "Vho is Riddle?"

"Voldemort real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, which is an anagram for I am Lord Voldemort," Harry explained. He chose not to mention that he hadn't caught on to the anagram until it was literally spelled out for him by his nemesis in a dark, dank chamber under the school.

"You think a dark lord would come up with a better name than that," Susan complained sarcastically. "It's kind of cheesy."

"Back to business," the leader of the Goblin World ordered, "Since people saw you enter the building they have alerted the authorities, but because authorities need a warrant to come to the vaults, you will be safe down there for the time being. But it won't last forever. We may be a separate nation, but their are laws about extradition. I'll have my lawyers buy you more time, but they will not last forever. You not function under a time limit."

"Let's go before they get here," Harry said exasperated. The minute something went well, something else had to go wrong. Of course the Death Eaters would be after them as soon as they left the bank. Of course they couldn't just hide in there forever. Why did the world hate him again? Oh right, propaganda…

"Vait ve have to go to the Black family vault first, or better yet let's split up. That vey vhen the authorities come they'll be expecting us to be together. If ve are in groups of two they vill not expect us and may pass us by," Viktor suggested.

"Griphook will take Mr. Krum and Ms. Granger-Black to the Black Family Vault, and I will take Mr. Potter-Black and Ms. Bones to Mrs. Lestrange's vault to get the hocrux," Ragnok said. "Move quickly, and may the strength of your ancestors flow through you."

"Uh, thanks," Harry nodded. "Erm, you too?"

Susan elbowed him. "May the blood of your enemies trail rivers of red behind your feet, Leader Ragnok."

"What she said," Harry agreed.

He got elbowed again.


	7. Chapter 7: The Lost Daughter

Chapter 7: The Lost Daughter

"Follow me," Griphook ordered without hostility. For a human, he would sound rather grouchy but considering that Griphook was a goblin he may as well have taken their hands and _skipped_ along with them towards the cart. Hermione was vaguely unsettled by the unexpected level of friendliness he used.

Fortunately, Viktor had never really had an issue with the goblin carts or their 'one speed only' policy, though his poor Hermione looked a little green by the end of the ride. Viktor was too polite to complain in her defense to the goblins though, understanding that it would have been politically unwise without needing Hermione to nag at him first. It was nice for Hermione not to need to remind him to behave like she would have with ... like she would have needed to previously. The temperature was freezing and Hermione started shivering almost immediately, not being dressed for cold weather. Krum noticed instantly and responded by wrapping his coat around her. Yes, she was very happy with her current boyfriend. He was so much better than her last one that the comparison was almost unfair. Ron didn't even qualify.

Once they got down to the vault, Griphook stopped the cart and Hermione and Krum out.

"Place your hand upon the door, it must confirm your identity as an heir of the house of Black," he instructed. "Don't worry, it only needs magic, not blood."

The second she did, there was a rush of magic, expanding from where she touched the door like ripples on a pond. When she pulled away, her handprint glowed at her for a moment before fading away. The vault door clicked and swung open in an almost unobtrusive manner.

Hermione immediately started searching for the letter that her father had left her, sure it would be somewhere prominent. She wasn't looking long before she heard a shockingly familiar and heart tearing voice.

"How did you get in here? That should be impossible. What's your name?"

Hermione slowly turned around. Sirius looked younger than she had ever seen him, face unlined and eyes bright and lively with mischief. The painting must be from before Azkaban got ahold of him. "Sirius Black?" she asked. Of course she already knew it was him but… she hadn't expected this. She hadn't expected to get to talk to Sirius Black, her father.

"Hermione?" he recognized her, surprised. "Seriously, how did you get in the vault? Is Harry here too? Did he let you in? Harry's got Black blood so-"

"I- uh, no," Hermione faltered, for once in her life struggling to find the appropriate words. "I mean, yes, he's in the bank but no he didn't let me in. I got in by myself because-"

"Andromeda Evelyn," Sirius realized, eyes widening. He made an aborted gesture with his hand as though to reach out and touch her before puling back, remembering that he couldn't. "My little pup, Evie. Oh, how I'm sorry I didn't find you." His eyes were bright with unshed tears that looked ready to fall at any moment.

"How could you have known?" Hermione asked, rational mind rising up to defend him. "I was only two when you were imprisoned. I had no idea who you were to me until today. The man who raised me was the one I believed to be my father. I had no idea my mother changed her name and moved house and married a man who wasn't my father," Hermione explained.

"I'm sorry I didn't figure it out," Sirius moaned. "I would have stayed to protect you and your mother if I had. You have to know that I would've. But Harry was in danger and-"

"There's no way you could have known," Hermione repeated soothingly. "Even if you had found that my mom had moved, it would have been next to impossible for you to find us. She went through a ridiculous amount of trouble to keep me safe. I'm betting she even had plastic surgery to help hide her identity. Were you guys engaged?" Hermione ranted.

"Yes, we were supposed to marry a month after Halloween," Sirius responded grimly. "Originally I wanted to wait until the war ended but she wanted to set a date and… well, your mother didn't know I was a wizard and I couldn't explain. The Statue of Secrecy prevented me from telling her until we were married and it was even more important in a time of war. I wanted to tell her, I really did, but I couldn't let her be obliviated for finding out at the wrong time."

"She probably knew you had been framed, and vas probably afraid for her and Hermione's safety," Krum explained. "Vhy else would she go to such lengths to hide her identity and location."

"True that," Sirius agreed quickly.

Hermione looked confused, "Where did you learn that phrase? That's a muggle phrase."

"I spent almost four years hiding in the muggle world from Voldemort. That's how I met your mother. She was actually tutoring me for the A-Levels when we first met."

"Wait, wait, wait you took the A-Levels?" Hermione asked.

"Oh yeah and aced them too," Sirius said with a smug grin. Hermione had gotten her smarts from somewhere. Apparently it ran on _both_ sides of her family.

"Guess Malfoy can eat his words now since I'm no muggleborn," Hermione said with an identical grin, "Wait me and Malfoy are cousins, ew, ew, ew. I don't want to be related to that ferret!"

"Could be worse, your mother could be Bellatrix," Sirius joked.

"Ew, ew, ew how could you even say that?" Hermione responded. "That's disgusting – oh no, she's my second cousin or something isn't she? This is horrible."

"I mention it because my parents seriously considered marrying me to her," Sirius explained, pulling a face. That had been… a stressful time for him. He'd gone on a pranking _rampage_ back then and hadn't settled down until he'd been blasted off the Family Tree and all talk of marrying him off was given up on.

"Ugh that is not okay," Krum said. "I'm actually expected to marry a muggleborn or muggle. Their blood is more valued in Bulgaria. Vhile it's not exactly a hardship its certainly easier than vhat your parents proposed to do."

"Wait why are you expected to marry a muggleborn or muggle?" Hermione asked. This was something she missed about Viktor. She could ask him questions and he wouldn't get annoyed. They both enjoyed discovering the differences and similarities between their two home cultures and finding the reasons behind them. Even when they disagreed on occasion, they found a common ground in trying to find out why.

"Because it brings new blood into the families, and the only way to have a half-blood in Bulgaria is to marry a muggle," Krum explained. "If both of your parents are magical in Bulgaria, you are considered a purebloods."

"I wish Amelia Bones had had the chance to implement that here in Britain," Hermione sighed. "In Britain, all four of your grandparents had to have been magical in order for you to be considered a pureblood. And the farther back the magic goes the better."

"Well that's stupid," Krum dismissed bluntly, "The Family Magics will dilute over time unless you introduce new blood. Every Triwizard champion except for Cedric was a half-blood by Britain standard, since all four of his grandparents were magical, however, his grandmother was a muggleborn."

"That explains why the muggleborns and half-bloods are so much more powerful and why newer purebloods are so much more powerful than the old purebloods," his girlfriend realized. "It also explains a lot about why old pureblood families get so upset when members of their family marry muggleborns or muggles."

"Fucking racists," Viktor proclaimed, with Hermione looking at him in surprise. "Oops, did I say that out loud?" Viktor asked.

"Yes," Hermione said, "and it was kind of hot."

"Anyway," Sirius said awkwardly, not wanting to see his daughter flirting with anyone, "what do you wanna do? Blast my mother off the family tree, or curse Bellatrix? Or maybe which would you rather do first?" he grinned mischievously. "You know you want to!"

"I think I'll get Harry to instate Tonks into the Black family," Hermione decided, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"Oh, even better," Sirius commended. "That'll piss Cissy and Bella off. I don't know why Cissy hasn't left that bastard yet."

"Vait, why didn't you nullify the contract as head of the house of Black if you hate him so much?" Viktor asked. "You had the ability since it was an arranged marriage, right?"

"Oh I did," Sirius agreed. "But because I was an escaped fugitive and doing so would have drawn attention to Cissy. She wouldn't have been safe without the protection being married to Malfoy affords her."

"I understand," Hermione assured him. "You did the best you could."

"There aren't any nasty surprises in Belatrix's vault, are there?" Krum asked as the idea suddenly occurred to him. "Harry and Susan are already heading down."

"Normally, if it was just Bella, I'd say yes," Sirius explained, "But because of her dumbass husband and brother in law, if there was anything even mildly complicated he'd die in their own trap, so I'm going to go with no. They'll be fine. Harry got through to the Sorcerer's Stone, so this will be nothing."

"You do realize that your portrait is coming with us, right?" Hermione asked. "I'm not leaving you here. I've got so many questions that…" she trialed off hopefully.

Sirius's eyes smiled just as brightly as the rest of his face and it took years off his already younger appearance. For a moment, she could see the reckless teenager he had once been. "I would be delighted to answer them, Pup."

"I hate to break up the moment, but Harry and Susan need us in the Lestrange Vaults and ve are acting under a time limit," Viktor reminded them. "Ve should be going."

"Right. Horcruxes and the fate of the world," Hermione remembered exasperatedly. "How could I ever forget?"


	8. Chapter 8: The Lestrange Vault

Chapter 8: The Lestrange Vault

Meanwhile, Harry and Susan went down into the depths of Gringotts with Ragnook who quickly scanned the vault for booby-traps with a practiced eye. One does not become Goblin King by not being appropriately cautious after all and Blacks were notorious for cursing seemingly innocuous things and leaving them to be found by unsuspecting outsiders, thieves and enemies. He was mildly surprised to find none, having expected the Lady Lestrange by marriage to be cleverer than that.

"This is it?" Susan asked, looking around at the piles of gold and chests full of family heirlooms. "It's kind of… creepy."

"That cup is the horcrux," Ragnok pointed shortly. "Remove it from my bank immediately. The Goblin Nation does not associate with such vile creations and will not treat with those who do so willingly. I never would have thought that the wizards would dare hide such a thing here. It's punishable by death. After that Herpo the Foul incident, which started the first Wizarding-Goblin War, you'd think you humans would have learned. It's really too bad that the Ministry forbade consistent vault checks in the last accords."

"Well that was a stupid decision," Harry admitted. His life would have been very different and probably much easier if Globlin-Wizarding relations were ordered properly. "You guys are an independent nation. You deserve your own laws."

"I lived through the Goblin Wars," the king replied. "I know."

"Sorry," Harry said. He hadn't meant to bring that up, especially since Ragnok seemed to have bad memories of that time. It was incredible that something Professor Binns droned on about in such a boring voice actually had such an impact on a person Harry met in real life. It made him wish he'd paid more attention in class. Wow, he never thought he'd say that one about Binns's class.

"It's fine. Go we must leave quickly," Ragnok instructed.

Susan nodded. "Thank you for your assistance, Goblin Leader," she bowed again, Harry following suit, "But uh… how exactly will we leave the bank when it will no doubt be surrounded by Death Eaters by now?"

"There is a way," Ragnok dismissed. "The others will join us shortly and I only want to explain this-"

"Harry!" Hermione's voice broke in as she rushed over, Viktor in tow. "You'll never guess! Sirius had a portrait in his vault! Or well, I suppose it's my vault now but properly it's the Black Family Vault and-"

"Hermione, breathe," Viktor prompted. "You're mouth is moving faster than your mind again. It's adorable."

"But not helping," Susan reminded them. "Now about that exit-"

"Is that a dragon?!" Hermione demanded. "It's barbaric! That poor thing!" At this point, poor Harry was sent reeling by all the sentences being cut in half and all the people (and Goblins) talking over each other.

"Some wizard left a stolen egg in the vaults," Ragnok explained flatly. "This is the best we can do for something so big. At least it's still alive."

"And it's blind," Susan noted. "How can someone just _abandon_ the egg of such a majestic species? They only pretty much _only_ attack if you threaten their eggs or babies so trafficking in dragon eggs is _insanely_ risky."

"That explains why the dragons were so pissed in the first task," Harry said, "I could kind of hear them shouting incoherently. I'm willing to bet they were drugged, which would explain why I wasn't able to understand them properly."

"Sorry to interrupt, but the Ministry just got the warrant you need to go," Ragnok said urgently.

"Thank you," Susan said gratefully. "You've been a huge help and we don't want you implicated. How are you going to stay out of trouble?"

"Like this," Ragnok stated simply. In the next second, the tip of his spear was buried in Susan's thigh and she cried out half from pain and half surprise.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?" Harry demanded. The Goblins may have been helpful up to this point but he was willing to throw down if they were willing to just up and _stab_ Susan like that.

"It doesn't hurt Harry," Susan soothed him quickly, "It's barely even a scratch,"

"But look at how much your bleeding!" Harry worried.

"Wounds made by goblin weapons tend to bleed more and heal more slowly," Ragnook explained. "She'll be fine in a week. Now there are two options for you to get out, you can take the dragon out the front door, or take one of our carts to our muggle branch."

"Wait, you have a muggle branch? Why was I not informed of this?" Hermione asked. "I'm a _Muggleborn!_ "

"Because wizards are stupid and prejudiced," Susan explained. "They don't want to deal with muggles so most of them don't even know it exists, the professors know of course, but they don't go to it."

"That's stupid," Harry dismissed, "It would make a lot of muggleborns lives easier if they went to the muggle branch, cause isn't muggle to wizard exchange just like currency exchange Hermione?"

"Yes, it is and I'm betting the muggle branch of Gringotts uses the bill exchange in order to disguise the fact that they are exchanging wizarding money," Hermione replied.

"That is correct, Ms. Granger-Black," Ragnok responded, "However, you need to make a decision and get going."

"Let's take the cart," Harry, Krum, and Susan said at the same time.

"No we should free the dragon and ride it to freedom," Hermione said, making a determined fist.

"NO, DO YOU WANT US TO DIE?" Harry and Krum shouted. They had _enough_ dragons in their lives, thank you very much. And they were fond of living too.

Hermione glared at them. "Are you really just going to _abandon_ this noble creature here?" she demanded coldly.

"How about we just free the dragon as a distraction," Susan said. "We don't have to actually ride it."

"Ok that sounds safer, let's go with that," Krum said quickly before Hermione could get on the dragon. He wanted to appease her animal rights side because he loved her and supported her interests like any good boyfriend would, but he also wanted her alive for obvious reasons.

Hermione quickly bombarda-ed the chains, setting the dragon free. It roared in alarm and tore off towards the exit, causing damages at it went. Those damages would no doubt be charged to the intruders anyway, but it was still a nuisance worth of paperwork.

Ragnok groaned, "I am getting way too old for this, Mr. Potter just get in the cart. Those snatchers will be here any second. Although that is assuming the dragon doesn't eat any of them. Considering the fact that we haven't fed it recently that seems likely."

"Let's go, I don't want to see that," Harry agreed quickly. They got into the cart quickly, not wanting to take any chances and left.


	9. Chapter 9: The Muggle Branch

Chapter 9: The Muggle Branch

The cart ride between the Diagon Ally Gringotts and the Muggle Gringotts took nearly half an hour. Harry and Krum were delighted by the speed, g-force and general thrill of the journey. The girls less so. When the cart finally rolled to a stop, everyone virtually fell out, legs feeling like jelly as they nearly collapsed onto the pavement. Looking up Hermione realized that they were in front of the HSBC Bank in the Center of London. They got out of the cart and suddenly realized it looked like a sleek black SUV instead of the rusty, rickety mining cart they had boarded.

"When did that happen?" Harry asked.

"I don't know," Hermione admited, "I was too busy being terrified. But that is an interesting piece of magic. I wonder if it changes based off location, proximity to muggles or if it's on some sort of timer. I don't think anyone's controlling it or we would've noticed earlier."

"What she said," Susan agreed blandly. Normally she would have more energy to investigate, but she was still leaning on Harry quite heavily to keep from falling over.

"Oh well, we should go in," Krum said. "It's not safe to just stand out on the sidewalk. Better safe than sorry."

They all brushed off their jeans and stood properly to enter the bank, balance having returned to them. An unexpected person greeted them. Harry and Hermione's eyes lit up upon seeing the redhead man.

"You know, they told me you were coming but I didn't quite believe them," Bill grinned. "How are you?"

"Bill!" Harry and Hermione cheered.

They all embraced. Krum had some reserves about trusting the brother of Ronald Billius Weasley, but put them aside when he realized how happy his Hermione was to see him. Susan was only vaguely aware of the eldest Weasley, but knew enough to know he was on their side. Besides, if Harry and Hermione trusted him that was good enough for her.

"You're okay! It's good to see you, how's Fleur?" Harry asked, hoping for more good news.

"She's great. Wonderful. She's pregnant. I'm goanna be a dad!" Bill boasted excitedly, raising his voice in jubilation and getting pushed by a passing secretary. "We know it's probably going to be a girl because of her Veela heritage, even though she's only one eighth Veela. I can't wait to spoil her!"

Hermione cheered happily. "I'm so happy for you! I bet Mrs. Weasley is so proud too!"

"You bet. Of course she's starting on all my brothers about other grandkids. I think she wants an army. Right, well, enough personal business. That's not what you guys came for," Bill remembered. "Let's get you four out of the street before you get seen by someone unpleasant, right?"

"Right," Harry realized, snapping back into his work mode. "Let's get inside."

Bill led the golden quartet to the manager of the HSBC branch. The man beamed at them politely as they entered the room. "What can I do for you ladies and gentleman today?" he asked.

"We'd like to withdraw from our accounts and set up a debit card for each of us," Susan requested politely.

"Certainly ma'am. How much and from which account numbers?" the manager asked.

Each of them rattled off their account numbers and asked for 1,000 pounds in cash.

"Wow, the service here is really fast," Harry realized. "They're so nice."

"Yeah, that's to be expected," Susan shrugged agreeably. "We have some of the largest accounts in the bank, so it only makes sense that they'd go out of their way to accommodate us. It's just good business." She had been raised as a pureblood and the last of her line. She _needed_ to know that sort of thing since it was in the best interests of her family, for all that her family consisted of exactly herself fand her aunt. It was just her now though.

"Why are they being so nice to _me_ then?" Hermione asked. "I know I'm part Black now, but aren't the Blacks getting near poverty despite their lineage?"

"Firstly, you're the would-have-been-Lord's direct descendant," her boyfriend began to explain, "If you were a boy then you would be Lord Black. Since you're not that falls to Harry, should he choose to claim the title. He has to claim it rather than automatically inheriting like you vould because he's only one quarter black on his paternal grandmother's side. Secondly, you're with us," Krum dismissed. "And more specifically, you're with me. It wouldn't due to be rude to you. Harry and I combined are some of the richest men in Europe, possibly _the_ richest though I vouldn't know how we compare to the muggles. This sort of treatment is only to be expected."

"Is there anything else we can do for you," the manager asked. "Perhaps call for transportation?"

"Are there any good hotels here?" Hermione asked. "Preferably in the immediate area, I don't feel up to a lot of traveling after the day we've had. And Susan needs to rest and recover from her injury."

"Of course. Might I recommend the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane? It's only a five minute walk form here and they have both a spa for you to rest in and a built in Italian restaurant."

"That sounds nice," Krum said. "It's been a vhile since I've had Italian food."

"Great," Harry nodded. "Susan, are you sure you don't want us to call a cab or something? You're injured so-"

"I can still walk for five minutes," Susan dismissed. "I can take care of myself, thank you."

"You're being overprotective again Harry," Hermione scolded. "Let it go."

"Right, sorry," Harry apologized. He didn't feel very sorry though. He considered it his job to look after the others and he took it seriously, he had since he was eleven and finally had someone to protect. Krum nodded in agreement, silently supporting Harry in his attempted – and aborted – chivalry.

"So that's settled then," Susan dismissed. "Might we trouble you for directions?" she asked the manager.

"Certainly," he obliged. "Would you like a map?"


	10. Chapter 10: The Great Bathidla Bagshot

Chapter 10: Bathilda Bagshot and Dumbledore's Tragedy

The next day the heroic quartet woke feeling rested and happy for the first time in forever before they set out from the _very_ nice hotel that they had enjoyed thoroughly the night before and headed for the train station. They took the train from London to Edinburgh, where they then transferred to a train going to Llygollwen, the capitol of Wales. From Llygollwen the quartet planned to go to Gordic's Hollow to do something Harry had wanted to do since he had re-entered the wizarding world. They were going to visit his parents graves was well as Sirius's grave which is right next to his parent's graves. Hermione brought out Sirius's portrait so that he could give them directions to Gordic's Hollow.

Upon arriving at Gordic's Hollow, their first stop was the War Memorial. Seeing it agitated Harry because his home had been confiscated by the government and turned into a tourist attraction without his permission when he was too young to protest. Hermione frowned in sympathy for her best friend until she noticed an empty lot next to the memorial.

"Was this where we lived?" she asked Sirius.

"Yes. It was destroyed in the same explosion that occurred when Voldemort tried to kill Harry, it was pure luck that you and your mom weren't in the house at the time. I completely panicked and ran to the house it was completely obliterated, I thought you were gone, but then a neighbor came and told me that your mom had took you for a midnight walk to calm you down. I was so relieved, but I needed to check on the Potter's. I focused on Peter because until he was gone you and your mother weren't safe," Sirius explained. "And now you're still not safe."

"We should keep moving," Harry remembered, wiping tears away harshly. He didn't have the energy to do something as draining as crying. He had held of his mourning this long, what was a little longer? "We don't want death eaters catching up to us."

"What are you fools doing out here?" an elderly female voice demanded, scaring them nearly witless. "Come inside this instant before someone sees you!"

Hermione's eyes lit up eagerly. "Oh my god! Is that Bathilda Bagshot?" No one got the chance to answer her as she kept talking. "It is! Oh my god! She wrote _A History of Magic Years 1 through 7_! She's the most knowledgeable magical historian alive today! I can't believe-"

"Yes, yes, now shut your mouth girly before a muggle hears you!" the old woman ordered firmly. "Get your butts inside! Come on! Move!"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry obeyed. For a brief moment, he was a little boy just out of his cupboard again, being given orders and expected to obey them. But then the moment passed as they went inside, Harry with a bit of awkward scuffling on the porch to get some of the mud off his shoes before entering – just in case.

"How long have you lived in Godric's Hollow?" Susan asked, curiously.

"Over one hundred and fifty years," Bagshot shrugged. "I don't really keep track anymore, details about the author aren't needed for the narrative. I was born in Hogsmead and moved here after school, so that bracket sounds about right anyway. Albus and his brother Aberforth were homeschooled by me before they reached Hogwarts age. Same with Gillart."

"Gillart?" Harry asked.

"Grindewald," Hermione concluded.

"Oh. _Oh_ ," Harry realized. "I didn't know they knew each other."

"Knew each other?" Bagshot snorted. "They were thick as thieves, them! Joined at the hip they were. Poor Aberforth was left to look after Ariana alone. Poor dear. Such a shame what happened to her."

"What happened?" Hermione asked. She was missing parts of this story and she didn't like not knowing what was going on. In fact, Hermione hated not knowing things. She wanted answers.

"Albus was the eldest Dumbledore, followed by Aberforth and then Ariana was the baby of the family," Bagshot began, slipping into storyteller mode as she sank into a flowered wingback chair as naturally as breathing. "One day some muggles saw the little girl practicing magic and tortured her so badly her mind and magic broke. It took a lot of supervision to keep her from hurting herself or others after that. Percival Dumbledore went to Azkaban for torturing those same muggles, but I always knew it was really Albus who did it. His father never said a word in his own defense though and everyone thought the magics were too advanced for a boy so young, so no one ever knew. Ariana was left little more than a squib and perhaps less fortunate as her random outbursts of magic were very dangerous and one of them killed their mother, Kendra. Albus had to leave a promising career as a Unspeakable in order to take care of Ariana. Something which I believe he always resented, giving up his dream career like that, even to take care of his sister. That is what connected him to Gillert, they both hated muggles at this point for things they did to their siblings. Gillert's sister was raped and murdered by a group of muggles from his village. These occurrences drove both of them to near insanity and they plotted to take over the world to prevent what happened to their respective sisters from happening again. To make matters worse Dumbledore and Gillert both found their sisters immediately after it happened, first on the scene. Aberforth knew what his brother was planning and didn't support him at all, believing that Gillert was poisoning his brother's mind against him and that Albus was refusing to see sense. Eventually Aberforth and Albus came to head about his plans and a three-way duel ensued with a stray spell hitting and killing Ariana. Aberforth never forgave Albus, and Albus never forgave himself – or Grindewald. Then World War II happened and I'm sure you know the rest."

"So that's why we never heard of Aberforth," Susan concluded.

"Yeah Albus was ashamed of everything that had happened and they didn't speak to each other anymore after Ariana died," Bathilda explained blithely.

Harry noticed frost growing on the windows far too quickly just as Viktor asked, "Vhy is getting so cold in here?"


	11. Chapter 11: Meet the Parents

**Meet the Parents**

Harry saw his breath billow out white in front of him and felt the cold creaking into his bones. His eyes widened in both recognition, fear and partial resignation. "Please don't be dementors," he muttered, not holding much hope. "I'm so sick of dementors."

Susan ran to the window. "I know you don't want to hear this, but it's dementors," she reported. "Wands out now! Run!"

"Run as fast as you can," Bagshot said, "I'll hold them off as best I can!"

"Thank you!" Harry shouted as he ran, subtly ensuring that he was the last in line and therefore had the best chances of protecting his friends from the Dementors chasing them down.

A white owl burst into being, arching out of Bagshot's wand and circling the room. Unfortunately, just as the dementors arrived, it dissipated. Bathilda Bagshot was an old woman even by wizarding standards. Her magic just didn't have the strength to keep such a powerful spell going. The dementors descended upon her and gave her the kiss. The sounds of her screams as her soul was rent from her body and devoured as sustenance for those fowl creatures would haunt the nightmares of the four young heroes for years to come. But now was neither the time to greave nor to falter. All four of them quickly cast their own patronuses to defend themselves. An otter, a stag, a polar bear and a dolphin came out of their wands and flanked them protectively.

"We need to get out of here!" Harry shouted, terrified of what they had just seen. That had nearly happened to him once – more than once really. It had nearly happened to Sirius. It was horrible. It-

"Concentrate, Harry!" Susan ordered. "We can grieve later! Right now we need to get out of here with Bagshot before they get our souls too!"

Harry shook his head, trying to clear it. "Right!"

"Let's go!" Krum said, picking up Bagshot's body and swinging her into his arms.

The heroic quartet quickly ran out of the house, exiting the anti-dissaperation wards set around the town with the dementors hot on their heels. Their patronuses kept the dementors at a safe distance until Hermione could quickly a little known ward known as the anti-dementor ward which she had discovered in their sixth year at Hogwards. When the dementors tried to cross it they shrieked in pain and the darkness of their robes disappeared, allowing heaps of bones to clatter to the ground, covered in black runes and the residue of dark magics. The dementors were dead, never to rise again.

"Why did no one do that back in third year?" Harry wondered. "This is genius."

"Because the people in charge weren't genius, they were idiots," Hermione replied promptly. "They _requested_ that _dementors_ be near _schoolchildren_!" she hissed, scowling furiously. "And I am _not_ implying that Fudge was an arsehole that didn't know what he was talking about. I am outright _stating_ as an _unoquivical fact_ that the man was a corrupt fool, a menace to our generation, a useless coward and an incompetent!"

"Auntie always said that Fudge and his lackeys had the brains of a flobberworm," Susan piped up, trying to find the humor in the situation despite her limbs still shaking from fear and adrenaline. "She was so mad at him for even thinking of pulling that stunt with the dementors, she yelled at him good."

"Well at least someone in the ministry had common sense at some point," Harry grumbled. He'd been on the tail end of too many of their bad decisions to have any residual good will towards them.

"Ve should get out of here," Krum reminded them. "The vards will hold, but eventually those bones will start piling up if the dementors keep coming at us like this and I don't think we should touch them."

The heroic quartet took hands and dissaperated, taking the body of Bathilda Bagshot with them. They reappeared in the Forest of Dean. They dug a grave using magic and Susan conjured up a gravestone. It was nothing fancy, merely dark granite that was common to the area in a simple shape that read:

 **Here lies Bathilda Bagshot**

 **Greatest Historian of Our Age**

 **And a Warrior in the Bitter End**

The heroic quartet bowed their heads in a moment of silence out of respect for all the knowledge and wisdom that had died with the brave woman who lay down her life for theirs. It remained quiet for some time, up until Harry heard voices in the distance.

"What is that? Is that Death Eaters?" Harry asked. "LET'S RUN!"

"Don't be an idiot, this is a muggle area," Krum said, "even if those vere death eaters how vould they not stand out?"

"Let's go anyway," Susan said. "We need to be careful."

As the voices grew nearer the group packed up their bags and prepared to leave. Just as they were about to set off two muggles stepped into their area.

"Hi are you lost?" the woman asked.

Hermione froze, "Oh no, please don't let that be who I think it is," she said, as the group turned around. When they finished turning around, Hermione and the muggles both gasped. "Mom, Dad? / Hermione?"

"Shit," Harry said, "What are your parents doing here?" he asked in a whisper.

"I forgot they were planning to take their vacation a week earlier this year," Hermione whispered back in a panic.

Viktor took a step forward, "Good evening Doktors Granger, nice to meet you."

"And who exactly are you, young man?" Dan Granger asked. "And you and my daughter holding hands?"

Viktor and Hermione quickly jumped apart, with Hermione taking a step back and running back to hide behind Harry… for all the good that did. "My name is Viktor Krum," Viktor as Harry and Susan slowly turning around while shielding Hermione from view, and slowly walked away, silently praying that Krum would make an adequate distractions. "The reason I vas holding your daughter's hand is because ve recently rekindled our relationship of several years past. It is good to finally meet you both in person. Your lovely daughter has told me so much about you."

Dan's eyes flashed in recognition. "Krum- I remember that name. Hermione mentioned you before. She was fond of you. Then it was all about that Wetherby boy."

"They broke up," Krum dismissed. "Badly. He was pressuring her into things she was not genuinely ready for, and I intervened. That's how we got back together."

The father's countenance darkened. "That Wetherby boy… is he dead or will I have to hunt him down?"

"He has been permanently incapacitated," Krum assured him firmly. "I've dealt with the situation thoroughly."

"Good," Dan decided, "If he ever comes around again I'm getting my shotgun. I still have it from the service."

Internally, Viktor both applauded the man for wanting to protect Hermione and quailed, not wanting him to turn that protective instinct against him. "Understood sir."

"Dear, don't think I don't see you wandering off with those friends of yours. I taught you that trick. You can't use it against me," Hermione's mother scolded. "Get your tush back here."

Hermione winced. She thought she was far enough away that they wouldn't be able to notice. Hermione pulled out Sirius's portrait and gave it to Harry to give to her mother. "This'll distract her effectively," she strategized quickly. "Give it to Viktor they like him."

Harry passed the portrait to Viktor, who then passed it to Emma aka Evelyn. Emma dropped the portrait in surprise. "Oh my god, how did you get this?"

"Hello. I can hear you Evelyn," Sirius proclaimed.

"Wait a minute, who is this dude and why is calling you by your before name?" Dan asked in a panic.

"I'm her former fiancé, who died protecting your step-daughter," Sirius said.

"Dan, this is Sirius. Sirius, this is Dan," Emma introduced them to each other. "Now, lets have a nice adult conversation," she offered sarcastically, knowing that it was never going to happen.

Eyes narrowed on both sides. "Right," Dan and Sirius said at the same time. Their tones were not compliant to their dear Emma/Evalyn's wishes.

Emma huffed. Then she _glared_.

Sirius wavered under that glare, just as he always had in life. "Evie," he whined. "Do I have to?" The glare did not abate. Sirius sighed, deflating before squaring his shoulders and pulling up his chin, calling on his half-forgotten pureblood aristocrat lessons and his Gryffindor courage. "Thank you for taking such good care of the two most important woman who have ever entered my life, uh… Dan." Those aristocrat lessons sure didn't get him very far. He'd never liked his mother anyway.

Dan blinked and nodded. "You're not the only one who loves them, you know?" he reminded the dead man. "I do to. I wouldn't accept anything less from myself."

"I'm just glad they had someone, since I couldn't be there. Take-" Sirius swallowed, hating himself, "Take care of my family for me. Since I can never go home."

"Of course," Dan nodded. "And I'm doing this for them, not for you."

Sirius winced. "As long as they're okay. Then I guess that's enough. In the end."

Evelyn looked close to tears. Even so, her mom instinct pinged. "Where's my baby?" she asked, head popping up and swiveling around, searching. "Hermione Jean Granger if you think you can hide from me you are in for a _world_ or trouble!"

"Uh, she's not here anymore," Viktor confessed awkwardly. "Harry and Susan are gone too actually. We need to go. If you wouldn't mind looking after the late lady Bagshot's grave for us whenever you get the chance, we would really appreciate it. Bye."

Krum snatched Sirius's portrait and took off into the woods, leaving a stunned husband and wife duo and a trail of Sirius's barking laughter behind him as he went. By the time the two realized what had happened, he was already gone to rejoin the rest of the Heroic Quartet.

"The things I do for love," Viktor muttered. "Is the black madness contagious?"

"Probably, I mean just look at my godson," Sirius shrugged.

Viktor cursed under his breath in Bulgarian.


	12. Chapter 12: Fiendfyre

**Chapter 12: Fiendfyre**

Once Viktor caught up with the other three, he gave Hermione back the portrait of her father.

"Thanks for the save," she told him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Any time," he murmured into her hair, simply holding her close for a minute.

Sirius opened his mouth to comment but Hermione put him back in the bag before he could say anything. His muffled complaints could be heard briefly before he grumbled himself into silence.

"Let's keep moving," Harry decided. "The more isolated we are when we do this, the better."

"Good call, Harry," Susan agreed. "I don't want any muggles getting dragged into this insanity."

The quartet eventually came across the clearing Hermione remembered, which is now a closed campground. Hermione took out the locket and cup and set them in the firepit.

"Is everything ready?" Harry asked.

"No, wait a moment," Hermione instructed as she began casting wards around the firepit. In particular, she put a disguise ward up so that the spell would look just like a regular campfire if anyone happened to be walking by. "Okay," she announced when she was done, surveying her work and nodding to herself in satisfaction.

"Now I'd say ve're as ready as ve are going to be," Krum shrugged.

Harry nodded. "Right well, last time someone opened a horcrux, the diary possessed her, tried to steal her body and damn near killed me. I don't know what's in this one but it's probably not friendly either, probably even more dangerous since this isn't his first horcrux and he would have had _practice_ making the damn things. I don't know what, if anything, is going to happen, but be careful, okay? We don't want anyone in the way if something nasty happens when the hocrux opens up"

The other three seemed to agree with Harry's unease because they looked like they wanted to take a step back but didn't.

"Stand back," Harry ordered, " _Open._ " He ordered in parceltongue.

Harry commanded the locket to open, upon which Krum and Susan immediately released fiendfyre at the thing. The locket and cup both shrieked but didn't seem to be able to do anything else as it quickly burned to a crisp.

Hermione gasped. "Oh no," she whispered, seeing the green flames the color of the killing curse. She had just remembered that Fiendfyre is a controlled spell and that it would be trackable by the Misistry. Snatchers would be here any second now! She quickly put up anti-apparation wards but it was too late.

Upon the Fiendfyre ceasing, dark robed wizards apparated into the area.

"Run!" Viktor shouted.

"Obviously!" Susan snapped back, scrambling to her feet on her still-injured leg. Harry quickly ran in and grabbed the remains of the Hocruxes before taking Hermione and Susan's hands as they started running towards the edge of the wards.

There was a lot of running and shouting as the heroic quartet sprinted through the woods, ducking and dodging spells in the process. Susan knew she wasn't keeping up very well. The cut on her leg was burning like fire and she couldn't make her pace match the others. She knew they would slow down and come back for her if she called out. She also knew calling out would summon the Snatchers directly on top of her. Calling for help would inevitably drag her friends into the line of fire.

Susan hid behind a thick tree trunk for a moment, panting as she watched Hermione's bushy hair dart out of sight and listened to Krum's lumbering form snap through the bushes. Harry's voice cut through the forest as he cast spells back at their pursuers.

"Damn you Harry," Susan whispered. "Your saving people thing is contagious."

She didn't start running again. Susan Bones was captured by the enemy.

Her friends would only realize she wasn't with them when they stopped running.


	13. Chapter 13: Assault on Malfoy Manor

**Chapter 13: Assault on Malfoy Manor**

Hermione, Krum, and Harry appeared in Grimmaud Place with three distint cracks, one after another. They turned around expecting Susan to be right beside them. However, the space next to Harry was empty. And remained empty. Dread filled the air.

"Uh-oh," Hermione muttered, "Susan's been abducted. This isn't good. Viktor you are going to want to cover your ears."

"Vhy?" Krum asked, complying anyway.

"NNNOOO." Harry yelled. "This cannot be happening. Susan will be here any minute. She has to. She's smart and she's strong, she'll be here," he ranted. In the meantime Viktor saw what Hermione meant and conjured up some proper earplugs for himself since his hand just didn't seem to be doing the job entirely. Hermione had already done so for herself prior to Harry's rant. Harry was loud when he panicked.

"Why isn't she here? Oh no, OH NO! SUSAN! Why is it always the ones I love the most that are always in danger?" Harry suddenly froze. "Oh shit, _oh shit_. I love Susan. Susan got taken. Oh _shit!_ "

"He finally figured it out," Krum said. "That took forever. He's been in love with her since before I met her."

"He sure has horrible timing," Hermione agreed sarcastically.

"Ok, guys ignore my temper. We need to figure out where Susan is," Harry said in a calm voice, still shaking on the inside. He needed to deal if he wanted to get Susan back. Every second he panicked was another second she was in danger because he wasn't there. He would find her. He just needed to figure out how. Harry was not an idea guy. That was more Hermione's thing. "Does _anyone_ have _any_ idea where Susan might be?"

"Kreacher can tell you that," Kreacher popped in out of nowhere, causing everyone to jump. Considering how on edge everyone was it was actually a surprise that he didn't get cursed on reflex. "Kreacher knows where Mistress is," Kreacher continued blithely, "Master's soul-bond mate is in a Black estate. Kreacher can find her there."

"Wait a minute, what do you mean by soul-bond mate?" Harry asked.

"How do you _not_ know vhat a soul bond is?" Viktor asked. "You go to school, yes?"

"A soul bond is a strong connection between two soul mates who are so closely linked both emotionally and magically that they can communicate telepathically over even large distances once fully bonded," Hermione explained. "The last known case died two years ago. You remember the Flamels, right Harry."

"Why hasn't Susan talked to me yet?" Harry asked, oblivious.

"Because you haven't kissed yet," Krum said. "You've got no bond to vork vith yet."

"Ok, Kreacher could you please tell us where Susan is?" Hermione asked

"Better yet can you show us?" Krum asked.

"You can do that," Harry exclaimed. "LET'S GO!"

"Certainly, Master," Kreacher nodded, grabbing hold of the three teens.

"Wait…" Hermione started to protest before getting cut off by the sharp crack of apparition. "… for me to come up with a plan. Never mind. It's not like we ever manage to stick to them anyway."

"Ve are in a dungeon," Krum observed. "And it smells."

"Really," a female voice announced irritably from behind them. "I hadn't noticed."

The three of them turned around and saw Susan hanging by her wrists in shackles against the wall. There was enough slack for her to be seated but not enough for her arms to go below her head. Susan looked only a little worse for wear with no new injuries beyond bruises and small cuts.

"Oh, Thank God," Harry whispered in relief.

He didn't hesitate. He just went with the urge he'd been feeling and suppressing for months now. Harry marched across the dingy, dark dungeon and locked Susan in his arms before giving her a passionate kiss on the lips.

 _(What the hell, Harry?)_

 _[Sorry Susan had to do that.]_

 _(I repeat: what the hell Harry?! How are you in my head?)_

 _[Soul-bond, I'll explain once we get out of here.]_

 _(I know what a soul-bond is! Why do_ _we_ _have one?!)_

 _[This is not a good time to have that discussion]_

"Ve have to get out of here," Krum said with Kreacher nodding his agreement. "Vho's dungeon do you think this is anyway?"

"I don't know and I do not _want_ to know," Susan decided primly. "Just get me out of here, okay? Worry about _which_ psychotic murderous Death Eater I got kidnapped by later."

"I'm not done with the wards yet," Hermione protested as she worked quickly to free Susan and unlock the door. "They're old and designed to let people in not out. Ingenious really, like a magical version of a Chinese finger trap. I can get us out of the cell but after that it's best to go on foot. It would take me too long to get all the wards on the entire building down safely. Give me a moment." Hermione finished undoing the wards around the cell and unlocked the door with a simple _Alomahara_.

"Not that ingenious," Harry noted.

"No," Viktor protested, "she is just more genius than the ward makers were."

"If we weren't in the middle of a dungeon escape and daring rescue, I would kiss you right now," Hermione informed him without turning to look as the cautiously exited the cell. "As things stand, we'll have to do that later."

They rounded a corner and froze. There was a person there. "It just had to be you," Harry complained, "didn't it, Malfoy."

Draco did not attack, despite having drawn his wand and being in the ideal position to do so. Come to think of it, he should have attacked the moment they came within sight. The golden quartet that come to a 'T' in the hallway and had looked the other direction first, following Harry's lead. Draco _should_ have had just enough time to curse them. But he hadn't.

Krum stepped forward, not recognizing the younger teen. "Boy, step aside before we are forced to hurt you."

"How are you planning on walking out of here without a hostage?" Draco asked.

Harry Potter was not book smart. He wasn't good with facts. But he did have survival instincts and judgment skills that far surpassed those of an ordinary wizard. He knew what he was looking at. Draco Malfoy was scared, he was nearly broken and he was only just barely holding onto a sliver of hope as he stared them down at wandpoint. Draco Malfoy was not here to attack them. "What are you offering?"

"I'll be your hostage, as long as you get me out of here," Draco pleaded. "I just- I _can't_ stay here any longer," he confessed desperately, "I can't _take this_ anymore!" Harry could tell he wasn't lying.

 _[This is a good deal.]_

 _(Then we'll take it.)_ "Fine," Susan agreed aloud, "but we've got to make this look real. You can't just walk out with us next to you and not a hair out of place."

"You can disarm me before we go," Draco offered. "Make it look good."

" _Expellimarus_ ," Harry proclaimed disarming Draco and sending him flying into the wall. "Huh," he muttered, "That was a little stronger than I meant it to be. To be fair though, how many times in my life is Malfoy just going to stand there and offer to be hexed?"

Hermione and Susan laughed in earnest, with Krum merely looking confused about why they're laughing their asses off.

"Let's go," he decided. "The longer we wait the more likely someone else comes."

The heroic quartet and Draco left the area as Kreacher led them to the front of the manor. They subtly followed Draco's lead since he knew the route while still keeping at least one wand trained against his throat at all times in case they ran across anyone. It was a good precaution to take.

They were in sight of the exit when Malfoy Sr.'s voice rang out. "You are such a disappointment to me son losing to three blood traitors and a mudblood." He was blocking their path. Dobby was hiding in the shadows behind him and he gave a small wave.

Draco's only response to his father's insult was to bite his lip. If he spoke now, he would probably give himself away and his father would realize he was a traitor and not a hostage. He would loose his only chance at escape.

Kreacher however, did not hold back. "Don't talk to Lord Malfoy that way," he threatened, approaching.

The approach was a mistake.

"I _am_ Lord Malfoy," Lucius hissed as his cane suddenly rammed though Kreacher's chest with more speed than anyone there knew he possessed.

Dobby stepped in "It is you who is the blood traitor, you just killed your head elf," while he put a finger in Malfoy Sr.'s face and sent flying much like Draco had done earlier. Lucius Malfoy sailed through the air with his blond hair streaming behind him like the tail of a comet. His body impacted the main doors and broke them open, freeing the way for the escapees.

Hermione grabbed Kreacher's body. "Lets Go!" she ordered. "Outside the wards, quickly!"

It took only a moment's worth of running before they had exited the gates and, consequentially, the anti-dissaperation wards. Draco grabbed onto Dobby along with everyone else and they disappeared.


	14. Chapter 14: Fight at the Shell Cottage

**Chapter 14: Fight at Shell Cottage**

The heroic quartet, with the additions of Dobby and Draco, landed outside of a small cottage on a beach. Bill came out to greet them and stopped dead upon seeing Draco. "Things got complicated didn't they?" Bill asked sarcastically.

Harry's response was merely to offer up his most irritable and sarcastic glare and aim it at Bill, who seemed immune to its effects.

"We'll talk about inside," Krum decided. The small mass of people moved inside the tiny cottage.

Fleur came out of the kitchen with her hair flowing out behind her and a frilly apron around her middle. "Who's at the door mi amor?" she asked.

Fleur was heavily pregnant and the heroic quartet took a step back, having not expected her to be this far along. Viktor took two steps back because he had encountered a pregnant veela before and they were not ones to be messed with. While he had personally not angered the veela, his friend had and had nearly lost his bits in the process. He made a point to himself to never anger a pregnant veela.

Krum leaned over and hissed a warning to Harry not to anger Fleur. "Never insult or anger a pregnant veela."

"Why would I do that?" Harry asked stupidly. "Fleur and I get along great. I have no reason to change that."

"You know I can hear you right," Fleur said calmly, knowing that they meant no disrespect and that they were not perving over her so it was pretty much okay. "Don't worry I'm not angry just pleased that you know not to anger me."

"Yeah the last time I angered her, which was a month ago, she sent me to the couch for a month," Bill said. "

"And if you call me fat again you will be on the couch for two months," Fleur said angrily, reminding herself of why she sent him to the couch in the first place.

"But you are fat," Draco said. "All pregnant woman get fat, it's a fact of life."

Fleur immediately jumped up and went for his throat, but then she stopped, reeling back in surprise. "How can you be part-veela? You're a male."

"It's from my maternal great-grandmother," Draco explained. "Once a child becomes one eighth veela or less they can be born male."

"So Victoria could be Viktor," Bill said oblivious to Viktor's indignation.

"That is so not happening," Fleur said, "If it's a boy he will be named Louis."

"Yes dear," Bill said not wanting to be in the doghouse again. Besides, Louis is a perfectly nice name. Bill kind of liked the idea of a French name, especially since Fleur had followed him to England. He wanted her to have a part of her culture with her, especially for her children. That didn't change the fact that she was also completely whipped.

"What are you cooking?" Harry asked curiously.

"Pizza," Bill answered, suppressing a twitch in one eye. "I'm told it's pizza."

"I wanted to try it," Fleur dismissed, "But I added more toppings and put a few extra spices in the dough."

"I'm not that hungry," Harry decided.

At this point a surprise guest apperated into the front hall. Causing the heroic quartet, Bill and Fleur to draw out their wands and Draco pulled out a knife. Harry realized he had been armed this whole time, glared at him, and moved on.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa what are you guys doing?" Remus protested, holding up his hands in surrender. "It's me."

"Remus what are you doing here?" Hermione asked, confusedly. "You should be with Tonks."

"A complication came up," Remus dismissed awkwardly before plowing ahead. "I'm coming with you."

"Hold up a minute buster," Susan practically snarled and took a step towards the werewolf. "Why is it that you think are you leaving your wife to come on a dangerous journey with us which could get you killed or otherwise prevent you from being there when she needs you?"

"She's pregnant," Remus sighed, staring at his hands in much the same manner that a repentant murderer would. Even Harry thought he was being a bit melodramatic. "It's my fault I will have brought a child cursed with Lycanthropy into this world of cruelty. I've forced someone else to this miserable existence: an innocent baby even."

"Vait, vait did you have sex vith your vife in your werewolf form?" Viktor asked.

" _No_ , ew," Remus protested instantly. "The baby was conceived the week after a full moon. Why?"

Viktor only barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the older man and was rather proud of himself for largely succeeding. "Cause the only vay your baby could be born a werewolf is if he or she was conceived vhile you were in werewolf form."

"Wait, how do you know that Viktor?" Hermione asked. "Come to think of it, how does _anyone_ know that? It's oddly specific and vaguely disturbing as a mental image."

"There have been studies and that's all I'm willing to say on the matter," Viktor said. "I really hated that class."

"Why was I never made aware of this?" Remus said.

"Because the Ministry is stupid and classifies everything regarding werewolves as dark," Susan said. "They wouldn't want you to know."

"And it is also only possible to create a werewolf baby under the Wolfsbane potion, and it is technically illegal under British Law unless it is brewed specifically by its creator, Severus Snape," Viktor said. "So basically werewolf babies don't happen."

"Go home to your wife," Bill suggested lightly before glaring intensely and shadowing his eyes with his red hair, "or I'll set Fleur on you and she'll make sure you never have another kid."

He had his wife standing behind him, seething with sparks flying off of her fingertips as she held up her hand. Remus turned and ran away so quickly that you could tell that Fleur was putting both a literal and a metaphorical fire under his ass.

"Well he made the right decision," Fleur said smirking rubbing her pregnant belly proudly to which the baby kicked for the first time since their guests had arrived. She gasped and put Bill's and Susan's hands on her belly. Bill gasped and kissed the hell out of her.

"Aww," Hermione said in a whisper as not to disturb the moment and Viktor kissed her head.

"Okay," Harry whispered, "It's time for me to go."

"What already?" Susan asked. "We just got here."

"Not you just me," Harry said, "I'm leaving you behind."

Hermione sighed, "Not this again," and pulled a book out of her endless bag. She marched right up to Harry, hefted the book and-

Krum gaped slightly at his girlfriend. "Did you really have to knock him out?"

"Yes." Hermione informed him, "He was being stupid and his saving-people-thing was acting up again. It was effective."


	15. Chapter 15: Krum Intervention

**Chapter 15: Krum Intervention**

"Guys, can we wake him up please?" Susan asked. "I think our connection is giving me a potion of his headache and it's extremely unpleasant."

"One moment," Viktor ordered before walking over and sitting on Harry, much to the amusement of the other two. Hermione and Susan actually bursting into laughter. Fleur quickly followed along, with Bill giving an occasional howl while managing to stifle the rest.

"Renervate," Hermione cast.

Harry quickly woke up and tried to get up, but Viktor's body prevented him from even turning his head.

"What the hell, Viktor?!" Harry shouted. "Get off!"

"Not until you listen to reason!" Hermione yelled reasonably.

 _(Harry you're being an idiot. You cannot just leave the rest of us behind.)_

"WHY NOT?" Harry yelled.

"Because you will be dead without us," Hermione replied. She knew Harry well enough at this point to know exactly what he was reacting to and why. "Viktor and Susan have the only magic that can destroy hocruxes available to us right now, I'm carrying the sword and have the warding knowledge to leave us undetected. Susan has the connections to make sure we don't get caught, and Viktor is the muscle. If you go off without us you'll die in a heartbeat."

"How do you know I can't do all of that myself?" Harry asked.

 _(Because you would have been dead without Hermione in the first place.)_ Susan argued reasonably.

"Why should I listen to you?" Harry groused. He wasn't really angry anymore, but still stubborn and petulant.

"Because my aunt defeated Voldemort in a duel once," Susan said, speaking out loud for the first time. Everyone else was shocked.

"Vhy vas this never published?" Viktor asked.

"Because wizarding Britain is a sexist society that will never accept that a woman almost defeated Voldemort," Hermione concluded, rolling her eyes in indignation.

"Sexist sons of bitches," Harry swore. He paused. "Viktor why are still on top of me? I agreed not to run."

"Actually you just stopped fighting. It's not the same thing," Viktor corrected.

"Fine," Harry whined. "I swear I won't leave you. Happy?"

"Releived," the larger man corrected standing up and helping Harry to his feet.

 _(Nice of you to defend the fairer sex Harry. I never pegged you for a feminist.)_

 _[I learned that girls are more powerful than boys a long time ago.]_ Harry explained. _[My aunt was just as terrifying, if not more so, than my uncle. It was better not to discriminate.]_

 _(I'm sorry.)_

 _[It's okay. I trust you to know. I trust you with everything, in time.]_

 _(You are such a sap, Harry.)_

 _[I'm your sap.]_

 _(Obiously.)_

"Anyway," Hermione said, interrupting their mental conversation, "We need to find a way to contact Hogwarts. We know one of the Hocruxes has got to be there somewhere."

"Vhy?" Viktor asked.

"Because it was his home," Harry said solemnly. "Every hiding place means something to him. Hogwarts means everything to him. It just makes sense."

"Wait, Hermione do you still have your DA galleon?" Susan asked. "Cause I do and I'm pretty sure the rest of the DA does too."

"Of course, why was I such an idiot?" Hermione said. "That's easily 2/3 of the Hogwarts student body at this point."

"Okay, but who exactly are we going to contact?" Harry asked. "Broadcasting the code to the whole of Hogwarts seems a bit silly. Everyone would answer and t would take ages to sort through it all."

"And more importantly vhere can I get one of these?" Viktor asked, not having been introduced to this method of communication before.

"I'll have to make you one," Hermione explained briefly, "but first we have to figure out who exactly we're contacting. Harry I think you should contact Neville. I'll contact Luna. Susan who do you want to contact?"

"Hannah," Susan said softly. "I haven't talked to her since Dumbledore's funeral."

"Viktor, who could you possibly contact at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked. "Most of the people you met were fangirls."

"There was one girl other than you," he admitted. "She vas smart, sly and had the largest spy network I've seen outside of an actual intelligence agency."

"Oh you mean Daphene," Susan realized, laughing. "I swear sometimes that girl is a spy agency by herself."

"Is that how she heard about DA?" Harry asked, remembering how she had just shown up one day wanting to join. Harry had had no problem with it of course, but Ron vehemently refused on account of her being a Slytherin. Harry had won that argument of course, refusing to loose a potential ally for such petty reasons. Besides, he had actually become kind of friends with Daphene during his fourth year. She along with her friend Tracey, were the only two Slytherin's who chose to ignore Malfoy's childish antics.

"Of course, vhy vould she even come otherwise?" Viktor asked.

"Okay Viktor here's your galleon, let's contact Hogwarts," Hermione said.


	16. Chapter 16: The Way In

**Chapter 16: The Way In**

Harry, naturally, was the first to establish a galleon connection. He pulled out his coin and pressed on it, mentally focusing on Neville's name to establish an audio connection as opposed to the usual method of galleon communication.

"Neville are you there?" Harry asked.

"HI HARRY," Neville shouted into the galleon, "HOW ARE YOU? CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

"Neville your screaming and we can all hear you," Susan said. "You don't need to scream, just talk to it."

"Is this good?" Nevile asked.

"Perfect," Harry assured him.

"Anyway, Neville, how are things at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.

"In a word? Horrible. Snape's been made headmaster and Voldemort's supporters have taken over the school," Neville said. "It's a mess. One wrong step and you could get hit with the Cruciatus, if not the AK."

"What have you been doing to keep yourself safe, Neville?" Susan asked. "I know that your association with Harry and Hermione make you a target and I can't see you just sitting on your hands and not saying anything."

Neville's smug chuckle echoed out of the golden coin, reassuring the listeners. "I formed a widespread and organized resistance with Luna as my deputy… and we're also dating now." (Both Harry and Hermione whooped supportively.) "Anyway, we're camping out in the room of requirement with most of the DA," Neville said.

Harry frowned. "Wait, Neville how long have you been hiding out in there?" he asked, "And more importantly how many of you are there?"

"Since mid-September and half the school is with us. All of the muggleborns, half-bloods, and non-secretive blood traitors," Neville responded. "Plus there are some who check in from time to time but aren't resistance residents with the rest of us. They're acting like our spies on the outside. Damn useful too."

"Wait, Neville, is Daphene Greengrass there with you?" Susan asked.

"No, but Hannah is. Daphene is our eyes and ears outside," Luna interjected.

"Luna, do you know any missing Ravenclaw artifacts?" Hermione asked. "We think that the Dark Lord may have stolen one and used for something."

"Only one," Luna said dreamily, "Her diadem."

"Wait do you mean the tiara her statue is wearing in your common room?" Susan asked.

"Yes, wait how have you been in there?" Luna asked.

"Padma Patil invited me and her sister in third year," Susan explained dismissively. "I saw it then."

"Hi Susan," Parvarti and Padma chorused on the other end of the line.

"Hi Padma how are you?" Harry greeted.

"Good bit stuffed but…"

"I get it," Harry interrupted.

"Got it!" Hermione chimed in.

"Got what?" Neville asked.

" _This_ ," Hermione reported, pulling a heavy book out of her expanded bag one handed and paging through it quickly, "holds records of the founders, and mores specifically… aha! Ravenclaw section, right at the beginning. See? This is what the Diadem looks like."

"Wait, let me see that," Harry requested, knowing better than to snatch a book out of Hermione's hands. "Where have I seen that before?" he murmured out loud. "Oh wait, I remember! That thing is in the room of requirement!" Screams immediately started to emit from the galleon. "Oh calm down, you can only get to it if you're in a different room than the one you're in. It's not going to jump out and bite you."

"Why aren't we in that room?" Luna asked calmly.

"Because the room I'm thinking of is filled to the brim with stuff and it wouldn't have room for everyone," Harry explained, "You can only get to it if you want to hide _stuff_. Not _people_."

"Oh yeah, when we wished to hide we wanted bedrooms and bathrooms," Parvarti said.

"Anyway Hannah what's the latest gossip?" Susan asked.

"Well, Slughorn's secretly slipping potions to us and those who are injured, Mcgonagall's gone crazy," ("No surprise there," Harry whispered, only to be shushed harshly by Susan.) "We've mapped out the patrols the death eaters have been going on - I'll give them to you when you get here. They only just changed, so they won't change again for a while," Hannah said.

"So when are you guys coming to Hogwarts?" Colin Creevey suddenly jumped into the conversation. "It'll be great to see you!" he cheered eagerly.

"Hopefully within the next two or three weeks, we just need to figure out a way in without raising any alarms," Harry replied. "If we showed up without a strategy and got sighted it could get ugly."

"Oh that's easy," Hannah dismissed, "just go to the Hog's Head in Hogsmead Villiage. The barkeeper there has been sneaking us food. But make sure you apparate directly inside, because Snape and the Carrows have been known to go down there and harass the local shopkeepers. Well, not at The Three Broomsticks, because everyone knows better than to piss off Madam Rosemerta. Look at your former friend, sorry Ginny."

"It's okay, I know Ron's an idiot sometimes, too bad he wasn't able to come to Hogwarts, stupid Dragon Pox," Ginny said, with Viktor snickering in the background.

"Viktor honey, what did you do?" Hermione asked in a whisper.

"Nothing anyone has enough evidence to prove," he said. "Let's just leave it at that, because I vant you to have plausible deniability in case his mom finds out."

"Anyway what time is it now?" Harry asked.

"Just after seven o'clock," Luna replied. If anyone found it odd that the dreamiest individual with the smallest attachment to reality had the most specific read on the time, no one commented. Luna always knew things anyway.

"Good. We need to talk to Daphene," Hermione said. "So this is goodbye until we get to Hogwarts.

"See you when you get here," Dennis said.

Viktor took out his galleon summoned the connection for Daphene's galleon while the rest of them hung up. Daphene answered harshly, "Who is this and what do you want? I'm busy."

"Busy doing vhat?" Viktor asked, his voice rich with the accent of his homeland.

"Spying on Snape, Mr. Krum," Daphene replied in a snarky tone.

"What can you tell us about him and the other death eaters?" Hermione asked.

"He probably won't be a problem.

She gave them information on the goings on of the castle and informed them that the Grey Lady wanted to talk to them once they got to Hogwarts.

"See you soon," Harry said quickly so that they could get off before Daphene got caught.

"So how are we going to get to Edinburgh?" Hermione asked. "We can't just apparate to Hogsmeade,"

"We could take the train," Susan offered. "I've been in King's Cross enough to know that there are daily muggle trains to Scotland a lot faster than the Hogwarts Express."

"Why oh why did they never change the steam engine to an oil one?" Harry asked.

"Because their idiots vho don't get the concept of 'ekelec-tricity'," Viktor explained sarcastically.

"Viktor honey you don't have to say it like an idiot," Hermione said.

"I know, but it's just more fun this way."


	17. Chapter 17: The Phoenix at Hog's Head

**Chapter 17: Dumbledore's Failure**

In the Hog's Head bar, Aberforth Dumbledore was cleaning up after yet another Death Eater raid, magically repairing broken bottles and summoning there liquid contents off of the floor. Suddenly four figures in hooded cloaks apparated in with a loud crack, startling him. The youngest surviving Dumbledore jumped back quickly and put a hand on his chest.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he demanded cynically. It was better to be cautious and alive than careless and dead.

"Relax, we aren't death eaters," Harry assured him, taking a look around at the recently restored bar. It was still a dump, but at least now it was a dump with booze instead of broken glass.

"Are you members of that Flaming Flamingo Order then?" the barkeeper asked.

"No, we're not with those idiots," Susan promised, irritated.

"Well in that case, are you the one this damn bird has been waiting for?" Aberforth asked, jerking a thumb into the corner where a large cabinet was stationed. A beautiful trill came from inside. Cautiously, Krum opened it, eyes flying wide with surprise as a brilliantly colored bird flew past him.

"FAWKES!" Harry and Hermione yelled in surprise.

Fawkes landed quickly Hermione's shoulder, taking the time to nuzzle her lightly. "Hello again Fawkes," Hermione cooed at her, while conjuring up an orange and splitting it into slices to feed her. Fawkes playfully nibbled on Hermione's ear and suddenly…

 _{Hello dear one.}_

 _Whoa, whoa who are you and why are you in my head?_ Hermione demanded. _Last I checked, I'm not a Legilimens so this should be impossible._

 _{Little one, I am Fawkes.}_

 _Wait how are_ _you_ _speaking to me the only way to do that is through…_ _oh!_ _Now I understand._

"Huh," Aberforth observed. "That's something you don't see everyday I guess."

"Vhat is going on Hermione?" Viktor asked.

"Your girlfriend just bonded with a Phoenix," the old barkeeper said. "That's the first true bond in centuries I'd bet. Congratulations or whatever."

"I should have seen this coming," Harry muttered in annoyance. He felt like he should have realized that something was off with Fawkes. She was burning far too often to be healthy.

"Typical Hermione," Susan said in admiration. "Brightest witch of our age indeed, what with the flaming beacon sitting on your shoulder."

"Anyway, who are you and why do you look so familiar?" Harry asked Aberforth, seeking clarification on something he already suspected.

"Probably because you knew my older brother," the barkeeper dismissed.

"Vait, you're Aberforth," Viktor said.

"Yes, but how have you heard of me?" he demanded. "Albus was ashamed of me and what he had done to our family."

"We met with Bathilda Bagshot," Hermione explained. "She's dead now. I'm sorry."

"She was old," Aberforth nodded tiredly. "It was her time. She had a good run."

"Wait a second here," Susan asked slowly, a sneaking suspicion sewing interest in her heart, "were you the one who broke Professor Dumbledore's nose?"

"Yep," Aberforth declared proudly.

"Good for you," Krum said sincerely but with an annoyed tone. He was convinced that Professor Dumbledore had persuaded Ron to potion Hermione and thinking about it always made him angry.

"Anyway," Harry said, "We should get going, we promised to get to Hogwarts before midnight."

"Yeah but wouldn't taking Fawkes be obvious?" Hermione said, with Fawkes squawking in offense. She didn't bother translating for the others and Harry figured that was fair since his telepathic conversations with Susan were something he prefered to keep private as well. "Hey that's a good thing," Hermione soothed Fawkes, "We just don't want to get caught and taking you will be a sure-fire way to do so."

"Anyway, we know you've been feeding the resistance in Hogwarts," Susan said, always the diplomat of the group. "How have you been getting to Hogwarts undetected?"

"Through the portrait behind the bar," Aberforth explained shortly, pointing at a painting of a young girl. "It leads directly into the Room of Requirement, beware though it's a three-kilo crawl. Your neck and knees won't thank you."

"Great," Viktor said, "How am I supposed to fit in that tiny little tunel?"

"How bout this?" Susan asked. "Fawkes will take you in approximately an hour when Hermione calls her to say that we're in the room."

"Okay, but what about me?" Harry asked. "That doesn't look like it would fit me either."

"That's why you'll be going first Harry so if you get stuck we can push you ahead," Hermione beamed at him.

"You're a sadist," Harry muttered.

"Damn right she is," Viktor said proudly kissing her on the lips, Hermione blushed.

"Way, way, _way_ too much information," Harry scowled, looking away. "She's my sister in all but blood. I did not need or want to know that. Ah, god, I can't un-picture that."

"What he said," Susan said, looking about ready to vomit.

"Anyway," Hermione said awkwardly, "Let's get going, Harry get in the portrait."


	18. Chapter 18: Explosion at Hogwarts

**Chapter 18: Hogwarts Explosion**

As Harry was slowly and laboriously being pushed along the narrow passage between the Hogs Head and the Room of Requirement by Susan and Hermione, something else was happening. Bursts of light from his hands were keeping the tunnel lit sporadically, beginning to spark like a small candle and steadily gaining in consistency and brightness. It took the trio an hour to reach the end of the tunnel by which time the entire tunnel was full of light from Harry's hands.

The trio entered the room of requirement just as Fawkes appeared with Viktor. Several girls screamed most of them being first years, startled at the sight of the large unfamiliar man appearing in a shower of golden-red flames in front of them. Ginny leapt back into Dean Thomas's arms before realizing who it was. Viktor took a quick look at Harry and whispered to Hermione, "We need to evacuate right now."

"Vhy?" Viktor asked, only just having arrived and not yet having noticed that Harry's hands were sparking. Actually, by this point there were more sputtering with multicolored flames and flickering wider by the second.

"Don't question me just do as I say!" Susan snapped at him in a panic. A lesser man would have quaked in fear at the harshness in her tone but Viktor nodded and began to help as best he could. "Neville gather up years six and seven, Luna gather up years four and five, Ginny you get the second and third years, and Hannah you deal with the firsties - quick! Let's move people!"

Just as the last first year calmed down and left the room, Harry's magic exploded outwards in a heavy storm of orange and gold fire. The remaining three people in the room froze, afraid that Harry might be in trouble and equally, so might they. THe fire rushed closer and then Fawkes swooped in front of them, spreading flaming wings and singing loudly. The explosion passed through the phoenix's body easily and the fire passed harmlessly over the three, even as the rest of the room was destroyed and burnt to ashes, sooty walls barely sustaining themselves. In the process the diadem appeared and gave out a short scream as it died once and for all.

"What! Just! Happened?!" Hermione demanded, eyes big as saucers as she took in the destruction around her.

"It's never been that big before," Harry muttered.

"Wait this has happened more than once?" Susan asked in a panicked.

"More than once, try at least once a year," Harry said.

"Vait a second, vhen all has this happened?" Viktor asked.

"First summer blowing open the locks on my bedroom door, second summer blowing up - er, well, _inflating_ my aunt Marge and opening up the cupboard, third summer my bedside lamp exploded after a bad dream, fourth summer wand lit up on its own while fighting dementors, and fifth summer blowing up Dumbledore's office," Harry said non-chalantly.

"That's not good," Susan said, "When was the last time you used magic before disarming Malfoy?"

"Day before Dumbledore's funeral," Harry shrugged.

"Uh-oh," Hermione muttered, "Harry there is a reason we're supposed to use magic on a consistent basis, you've got magic build up, that's why your disarming spell was so large and why the room exploded. This isn't safe."

"How was I supposed to know that?" Harry asked in a very alarmed voice.

"You were with me," Hermione muttered. "I know everything."

"Anyway, ve need to find a new hiding spot for the rebels," Viktor said.

"How about the kitchens?" Hannah suggested as she entered. "They're large and near the Hufflepuff common room which is booby trapped for the Dark mark," She said while snickering.

"Vhy did I never realize that your house vas so devious?" Viktor asked.

"Because you hung out with the Slytherin's my dear," Hermione said. "The snakes think the Hufflepuffs are a bunch of duffers." Susan, Hannah, and Harry snorted at that. Hifflepuffs were mostly harmless, until you pissed them off. Then you never realized it was them when you woke up one morning and- well, better not to discuss it in polite company.

"Harry you may not realize this, but you just accidentally destroyed the last hocrux," Susan said.

"Vell that's convenient, now vhat?" Viktor asked sarcastically.

"Let's go on the offensive," Susan said. "Voldemort is weak right now. He's got to know we're hunting horcruxes and that means we're under a time limit to destoroy them before he gets to chance to create more. But we can't lure him out and fight him here at Hogwarts. There are too many non-combatants and children here. Where are we supposed to go?"

"Well let's hit him where it all began, Riddle Manor," Harry said. "That's where he's based right now anyway. Should be simple enough. Ish. I mean if we don't die."

"Vhere's Riddle Manor?" Krum asked.

"Little Hangleton, about 50 kilometers outside of London," Susan said that.

"Wait how do you know that?" Hermione asked.

"My aunt told me, she went to school with him and helped him research his family," Susan replied.

"Wow, that's creepy let's move on before I start thinking about that properly because I'm sure I'll come up with an unpleasant mental image if I dwell on it too long," Harry said.

"We should send out partonuses to the order members and invite whoever's able to come," Hermione said.

"Right wands out everybody," Susan said, "Neville when did you get here?"

"Right now I'm coming with you, I sent Luna and Ginny ahead with instructions not to follow," Neville said as he cast his lion partonous, as Susan cast her dolphin, Hermione cast her otter, Harry cast his stag, Krum cast his polar bear, and Hannah cast her hamster. They sent out to whoever they wanted.

"Let's go!" Harry said as they apparated away the wards being destroyed by Harry's magical explosion.


	19. Chapter19: BattleOfLittleHangletonBegins

**Chapter 19: Battle of Little Hangleton Begins**

The heroic quartet plus Hannah, Neville, and Draco apparated to the graveyard at Little Hangleton with a crack like dawning thunder. More fighters appeared. Kingsley showed up, apologizing for the absence of his highly pregnant auror partner Tonks. Professors McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, Slughorn, Babbling and Sinistra showed up in quick succession from one another. Arthur, Bill and the twins apparated in, promiding that Charlie was on his way but said he needed to pick something up first. Luna popped up out of nowhere, smiling dreamily.

"Luna what are you doing here?" Neville asked in a panic. "You're supposed to be at Hogwarts. It's not safe for you here and I can't protect you."

"How did you even get here anyway?" Susan asked in confusion.

"Never mind don't even bother," Hermione dismissed. "She's Luna. However she got here, it's probably impossible and confusing and involves advice from creatures that don't really exist."

Harry made an executive decision. "I know Luna's underage, but if she has enough skill to get here on her own without detection we would be foolish to ignore another potential asset. She stays." Luna beamed and Neville resigned himself to his worry.

"Anyway, this is not what we came here to discuss. We need to stay focused," Kingsley said.

Charlie flew up over to them on the back of a Norwegian Ridgeback that harry and Hermione recognized as Norberta. Her tail was intertwined playfully with Alexander's, the blind dragon that the heroic quartet had freed at Gringotts. "I brought dragons," he grinned at them.

"As long as _we_ don't have to fight them, I'm glad," Harry decided, much to Viktor's agreement.

"Sorry I'm late," Fleur and Remus said at almost the exact same time as they appeared with a familiar crack of the air.

"I was busy dropping off Victorie at Molly's," Fleur explained.

"Fleur are you sure you should be here you gave birth like ten minutes ago?" Bill asked, with jaws dropping all around wondering why she was even there.

"Twenty minutes ago and I'm fine," Fleur dismissed aggressively. "I'm part veela. I heal quickly - you should see me with a broken bone. Besides, there's no way I'm letting you go into danger without me."

Remus explained his own near-tardiness with, "Sorry Tonks threw a hissy fit about me going without her, she's nine months pregnant and about to pop, so I didn't…"

"It's okay," Arthur said, "I get it, Molly's mood swings at the end of her pregnancies were absolutely terrifying." Bill and Charlie nodding in agreement, remembering all to well when their younger siblings had been born.

"Okay now that that's over vhat's the plan?" Viktor asked.

"Bill and Professor Babbling will break down the wards, Charlie will release the dragons," Susan ordered. "That should cause enough initial chaos for us to get an easy in. We might not be noticed at first and with that we'll gain the element of surprise."

"Make sure you release the dragons to the west side that's where all the guards and Voldemort are," Draco suggested. He knew better than to give orders but Charlie just grinned at him an nodded, determined to see this battle done and won even if he would be fighting beside a Malfoy.

"Anyvay, about five minutes after the dragons are released ve vill follow the dragons in a single file line. No need to get anybody killed by traveling in a pack," Viktor said.

"Harry and Susan start the line and for heaven's sakes don't grab hands, you'll need them free to fight properly. Neville and Luna you'll follow right behind them. Professors group yourselves. Viktor and I will be in the middle. Arthur you Kingsley and Remus will be at the back, no need to get Remus killed while Tonks is about to pop. Fred and George go wherever the hell you want you're on chaos duty so keep them panicking. Fleur just go to Bill we don't need you getting killed just after you became a mother," Hermione said.

"Okay! Let's move out, remember who you're fighting for," Harry said.

The single file line led themselves into the front entrance where they were met with dragon fire which was distracting most of the death eaters including most of the inner circle. Malfoy Sr. dove dramatically out of the way. Dolhov successfully shoved a death eater grunt between himself and the dragon fire to shield himself but got caught by Flitwick's _Incendio_ , causing the man to hop on one foot backwards, directly into the roaring dragon flames. Fred and George quickly engaged the Lestrange brothers, demonstrating their superior sense of teamwork and efficiency by casting a combination of spells almost in synch. No one was quite sure which brother got off which spells, but within seconds the Lestranges were missing limbs and their bloody stumps were sprouting tentacles and flower vines, several of which reached out and began strangling nearby death eaters as well.

Draco contemptuously hexed Crabbe and Goyle Sr., whom didn't even have the resourcefulness to attempt to dodge. Their shields weren't enough to block the younger man's spells. Draco was enjoying that maybe a little too much. He knew that their sons had been spying on him for his own father, ensuring that he behaved as a proper pureblood heir, but he couldn't make himself regret taking out his frustrations on them. They were still monsters who got off on what they did and it felt brilliant not to be afraid of them anymore. Draco was literally fighting his fears - the death eaters he was always surrounded by - and he was winning.

Malfoy Sr. was about to cast at Luna while her back was turned. Draco saw it coming. There was a moment - a split second really - where he hesitated. Loony Lovegood meant very little to him. The man attacking her was his father. The man who raised him. The man who- well, even if he _didn't_ care about the girl, revenge was worth it. Draco's wand moved almost before he thought of it. Lucius's hand went flying through the air. For a moment, eyes met between father and son. Then Lucius's head was severed and fell to the floor, curtain of silvery-blonde hair trailing in its wake and Draco didn't regret it.

Luna never even turned to look, and yet she called out over the commotion, "Thanks!" as though she had known they were there the whole time.

In the middle of a battle for his life and the fate of the wizarding world, Draco smiled. "You're welcome!" Purebloods were raised to have manners after all.

At the front entrance, Neville was engaged in a duel with Bellatrix Lestrange and losing ground across the entry hall as he was forced back to the front doors. She advanced on him, laughing maniacally.

Susan saw something neither of them did thought. "Neville! Above her!" she ordered.

Both combatants glanced up. A heartbeat passed. Neville grinned. Bellatrix paled in realization. She couldn't disapparate with that portion of the wards still functional. Neville cast a powerful severing charm at the chain of the chandelier and caused it to fall. Bellatrix attempted to shield herself but he electrocuted it as gravity took its course and the metal fixture collided with too much force for her to deflect quickly enough. There was a crunch as her body was crushed and electrocuted simultaneously.

"About time I got revenge for my parents," Neville said quietly, even as he turned away from the corpse and moved onto other opponents. That fight was over, but the battle wasn't done and the war undecided.


	20. Chapter 20: The Decisive Moments

**Chapter 20: The Decisive Moments**

Harry and Susan were at the head of the pack, not so much defeating their opponents as deflecting their attacks and trusting those who followed after them to take them down, not slowing in their relentless pace into the heart of the mansion as they searched for Voldemort. Snape stood directly in their path. Harry cast _expelliarmus_ but Snape deflected. Rather than attack he held up a hand and spoke quickly. "The snake is a horcrux," he said with more urgency than any of them knew he could have. "Kill the snake and-" he cried out in pain and looked down.

Nagini's jaws were fastened around his thigh, injecting her poison into his veins. Snape fell to the floor as Nagini reeled back, hissing and blocking their path.

"Well this is less than ideal," Susan admitted as Harry pulled her back slightly, cursing their rotten luck.

"We need to keep moving, we can't be stalled here," Harry recognized. "The longer we let this battle drag on the worse the casualties will be. We need to find Voldemort already!"

"I can stay," Arthur Weasley promised, coming up behind them. "Give me the sword. I've got a score to settle with this particular snake."

"So you do," Harry admitted, handing over the ancient blade. "Don't get bit again though, alright? We kind of like having you around."

"Don't worry," a new voice broke through, the din. "I've got his back." Percy Weasley promised, ducking under a stray blast of spellfire and standing beside his father.

Arthur's eyes were suspiciously wet as he nodded to his son. "Together then," he agreed.

Percy nodded. "Sorry I'm late," he confessed.

"You made it," Arthur assured him. "Now we have a snake to kill. Harry, get out of here. We all have our own jobs to do."

"If the snake is still alive when we kill Voldemort, he'll be able to come back. Make this quick," Harry instructed as he and Susan darted past.

In the next room Remus was dueling against Peter Pettigrew aggressively, both of them shouting at each other nearly incoherently. Or at least they were up until a patronus in the shape of a werewolf raced into the room and started screaming in obvious pain, startling everyone in the vicinity. Remus instantly recognized it as belonging to his beloved Tonks.

"AAUUGGHH!" Tonks's scream rang out sharply, "Remus! Get your fucking furry ass back here! I'm in labor and I am _not_ doing this alone!"

"Now?!" Kingsley demanded of his absent partner. "Why now Tonks?!" Viciously, he cast an animation charm on the ground under Pettegrew so that it rippled like a flag and forced the rat animagus to lose his footing.

Remus made a noise halfway between a snarl and a grows, casting a spell at his once-friend before apparating away, not even waiting to see the effects. It was a woodchipping spell. Everyone who was close enough to see the explosion of gore and blood winced and took a half-step back.

"Ugh I did not need to see that," Penelope Clearwater announced from where she was guarding Percy and Arthur's' backs.

"Note to self, never ever get between a werewolf and his newborn baby," Kingsley muttered.

"Amen to that," she muttered.

"Where's Remus?" Hermione demanded, catching up with her boyfriend in tow.

"He's going to go hold his baby for the first time!" Harry reported over the din.

There was a chorus of 'aww's from all the girls in line. "Yes, babies are cute. Can we get back to killing the bad guys now?" Harry demanded. "Focus people!"

Susan shook her head affectionately. "You're lucky I love you Harry. You're such a boy." She playfully slapped him on the arm.

To the left of the group was a room filled with dining Death Eaters, resistance fighters and spellfire and straight ahead of them was the master suite.

"Okay, so everyone except me, Susan, Hermione, Krum, and Neville will go to the dining room, we are going to confront Voldemort for the last time one way or another," Harry ordered.

He threw open the doors.

A green spell that had haunted his dreams for years before he even knew why to fear it collided with his chest. Harry's vision failed him and his body fell back, the sound of Susan's scream of his name echoing in his ears. He didn't respond.


	21. Chapter 21: Sleeping Beauty's Kiss

**Chapter 21: Reunion in Limbo and Sleeping Beauty's Kiss**

Harry woke up with a start. He allowed himself a moment of confusion as he stared at what appeared to be the ceiling of the Gryffindor common room. Having just died - or at least he _thought_ he had - this was not where he expected to wake up… not that he expected to wake up at all.

Sitting up and looking around, Harry recognized Dumbledore of all people in the room. Scowling furiously, Harry waved a hand through Dumbledore's body before the old coot could get a word in edgewise and he dispelled as though made of smoke.

"Hmph," Harry nodded in satisfaction. "If he couldn't say anything useful when I was alive he certainly wouldn't be able to now."

"Nicely done, Prongslet," came a voice behind him.

Harry turned. And there stood his parents. Lily and James Potter. His father was beaming at Harry, roguish grin not mitigated by the care in which he held his wife. His mum looked simply radiant, with her hand protectively holding her stomach. Harry's eyes widened, subconsciously recognizing the gesture and he muttered "No one told me she was pregnant when they died."

"That's because only Sirius knew about it," James calmly explained.

"And you would've been the best big brother to your little sister," Harry's eyes widened even more at this, "You mean you know what you would have had? How?"

"Let's just say God has funny ways of telling people…" James got cut off by Lily punching him in the arm.

"So anyway honey, you have two choices: stay here and let Neville face Riddle, or go back and defeat Riddle with the help of everyone."

Harry frowned. This would determine the course of his life… or afterlife. "I choose…" Harry started and woke up with a start to Susan kissing him.

"Never thought that would actually work," Hermione muttered sarcastically.

(Five minutes earlier)

Neville burst into the master bedroom with his wand held high, while Susan collapsed on her knees and held Harry's head in her lap. Viktor went to Neville and Hermione went to sit by Susan.

"It falls to me," Neville realized, not realizing that he spoke out loud.

"Ve're here for you Neville you can do this," Krum reassured him. "It's what Harry would have wanted."

"Susan why don't you give Harry a last kiss?" Hermione asked sarcastically. Giving into the impulse, Susan bent down…

(Back to present)

"As much as I love kissing you," Harry said as Susan pulled away. "We've got a zombie evil overlord to kill."

"Harry!" Susan cheered. "You're alive!"

"Alive and well," he confirmed. "Should we do this together?" Harry asked Neville.

"Sure but how are we going to approach this?" Neville replied.

Voldemort, horrified at the apparent resurrection of his mortal foe, re-cast the Avadra Kedavra at Harry's chest demanding, "Why didn't you stay dead?"

Unlike the last time, Harry was completely unwilling to die. The Elder Wand backfired and shot the curse back at Voldemort causing him to drop dead. The body of the wizarding world's greatest terror smacked to the floor dully.

The heroic quartet and Neville turned around and Neville asked, "Did Voldemort just kill himself?"

"I think he did," Harry confirmed. "Should we poke him?"

"Don't be ridiculous Harry," Hermione scloded. "Nobody's poking the Dark Lord."

"Actually I think his wand backfired and killed him," Susan said.

"That's the stupidest vay to die that I've ever heard of. And that's coming from me. I had an uncle die by Pixie's picking him up and dropping him off a cliff," Viktor said aghast. He seemed almost offended at how easily Voldemort had dropped dead.

Suddenly a chameleon partonous charged into the room and announced, "Tonks gave birth to a healthy baby boy. His name is Theodore Edward Tonks-Lupin," Remus said, to loud cheers from everyone.

"Well that seems like a much better place to be, Harry decided. "Let's go."

The heroic quartet took one last look at Voldemort's body and apparated away.


	22. Chapter 22: Teddy, Victorie & Knighthood

**Chapter 22: Teddy, Victorie, and the Aftermath**

The heroic quartet apparated into Wolf's Lodge to the sound of a crying baby. Quickly rushing over, they saw a blond haired, blue eyed baby holding hands with a newborn who was constantly changing the color of his hair.

"Awww," Susan, Harry, and Hermione cooed, causing Fleur to quickly shush them and gesture to the resting Tonks on the bed beside them.

"It was a rough labor, she needs her sleep. She's okay, though," Fleur said reassuringly.

"Let them be here, it's okay I'm fine," Tonks insisted, sitting up with a subtle moan.

"Tonks, did you have a Caesarian Section?" Hermione asked in a concerned tone. Tonks nodded quickly before groaning again.

"Vhat's that?" Viktor asked.

"They had to cut Teddy out," Tonks explained. "Halfway in, he went into distress and wasn't getting enough oxygen."

"But he seems fine," Harry said, uncertain and worried retroactively.

"Now he does, but it was quite scary. We could've easily lost him had we not gotten him out as quickly as we did," Remus said.

"Anyway," Andromeda interrupted briskly, wanting her daughter and first grandchild to rest, "I know you guys aren't keen on going to St. Mungos but I need to check you out."

"Let's just get this over with," Hermione groaned. None of the heroic quartet were eager for medical attention, having either had far too much of it in the past or having visited too many injured loved ones in hospitals to be completely comfortable around such things.

"As long as it's not my hospital bed at Hogwarts," Harry groaned as well. Susan, Krum, and Andromeda all stared at him in shock. "Yes it's mine. I even have a plaque. Madam Pomphrey thought it was funny when the twins sent it and actually kept it. Apparently it was more sanitary than the toilet seat."

"Ugh, men," Andromeda dismissed with a groan.

"Hermione you go first, you've been having some vierd symptoms for the last month or two," Viktor said.

"That's called stress," Hermione corrected him sharply. "There was a war on, remember?"

"Either way you need to get checked out," Andromeda ordered. "Individually the lot of you. I'd like to have some semblance of healer-patient confidentiality."

Krum and Harry started to protest, but Andromeda held her hand up, silencing them. She took Hermione first and stepped into the next room to cast a series of spells in an evaluative manner. Andromada appeared alarmed by whatever the spells indicated. "Did you know you were pregnant during the Final Battle?"

"I'm what?!" Hermione asked in a freaked out voice. "I just chalked up all these symptoms to stress."

"You should've seen Tonks when I told her the exact same thing, except she was eight months pregnant and you're only three,"

"Oh thank god," Hermione exhaled, "I thought I might have been further along."

"Go tell your hubby," Andromeda said.

"Ugh that's even worse," Hermione said, slouching suddenly. "He's already overprotective."

Andromeda came out and summoned Susan and Harry into the next room.

"We need to talk," Hermione said. "I'm pregnant. This is not what I wanted, but I'm not aborting it and we're keeping it."

"Her-mon-inny vait, how far along are you? Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Viktor said.

"Three months, remember New Years Day?" Viktor grinned smugly at the memory. "Don't you get that smug look on your face mister this is your fault too," Hermione insisted.

"Yes dear," Viktor replied.

Everybody else got a clean bill of health.

Later that evening an owl arrived from the Queen herself inviting them to be knighted the next day. After the ceremony Krum got down on one knee and proposed to his longtime sweetheart. Harry gave Susan a promise ring with a promise to propose later that year with his mom's ring (his secret). Neville and Luna were just there and Remus and Tonks were still at home with Tonks still recovering from major surgery, though they insisted that they were with them in spirit. Bill and Fleur were babysitting Teddy while looking after Victorie.


End file.
